Waiting Patiently
by Gerry Sibell
Title
Waiting Patiently
Artist
Gerry Sibell
Medium
Photograph
Description
This is an image of a male hooded merganser taken in the little pond in the backyard. There are a pair of these ducks nesting again this spring. About 6 AM, they will land in the pond. The female will fly into the nest box and stay inside for close to an hour. The male waits patiently for her to "lay an egg"! She will then fly out and preen herself. Then they take off. Eventually, she will stay in the box and start to incubate the eggs. She will take a little time off during the day and fly down into the water. This not only gives her a break but the water on her feathers will add some moisture to the eggs, which is necessary for them to hatch.
Uploaded
April 12th, 2015
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Viewed 178 Times - Last Visitor from Beverly Hills, CA on 03/29/2024 at 5:57 AM
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Comments (10)
Charlie Cliques
Congratulations! Your beautiful artwork has been featured in the group "Office Art Decor".
Dawn Currie
Congratulations on your feature in our group, I Love Nature Photography - celebrating the best of our natural world!
Amy Porter
A stunning portrait of one of my favorite ducks! Love the lighting and the detail in the feathers, as well as your description! Maybe if I put up a nesting box, we'll get a breeding pair in our pond, too! F/L
Gerry Sibell replied:
Thank you, Amy. A wood duck nesting box is what they seem to like. I checked the one box today when the ducks weren't around. There are six eggs, 3 wood ducks and 3 hooded mergansers. I read the mergansers are like cowbirds, they like to dump their eggs in wood duck nests!
John Bailey
Congratulations on being featured in the Fine Art America Group "Images That Excite You!"