These little Black-bellied Whistling Duck babies have just hatched over the past few days! Their very protective parents venture beyond the dense marsh grass to guide the ducklings out into a more open space right next to the boardwalk!
Tag Archives: Black-bellied Whistling Duck
I recently spent an overcast morning at Orlando Wetlands, one of my favorite birding spots . . . Despite the clouds, it was still as lovely as ever~! A new half-mile long curving boardwalk was completed last winter, taking visitors across one of the lakes and providing previously inaccessible views of the marsh and cypress […]
It’s summer in Florida, time for those adorable Black-bellied Whistling Ducklings. Last month I spotted the little fellows above huddling close to Mom (or Dad?) as s/he herded them toward the water. Last week we encountered lots of noisy adult Black-bellied Whistling Ducks circling loudly overhead, and hovering like sentinels as they landed on the […]
Black-bellied Whistling Duck Mama and her ducklings enjoy the plentiful and delicious duckweed on the pond!!
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (BBWDs) can be found year-round here in Florida, across much of the rest of the southern U.S., and throughout Central and South America. (eBird) They are frankly always handsome, but during the breeding season, they seem especially scrupulous about preening and bathing and looking their best! 😉 These charming birds are endlessly […]
Somehow I didn’t manage to get any shots of the Black-bellied Whistling Ducklings when they were still fluffy little black and yellow ‘bumblebees’ ☺️ this year. But this week I was delighted to see both the adults and the growing kids – what a treat!
It’s hard to believe that these very same tree islands were bustling with noisy (and sometimes smelly 😏) nesting wood storks, herons, and egrets of all shapes and sizes just two months ago. Almost everyone has moved on. This morning the boardwalks were empty and quiet and the ponds were utterly still. What a tranquil time to […]
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks always put a smile on my face~! We’re so lucky that they breed throughout the southern U.S. and are regulars here in our wetlands and sanctuaries every year. For more info and more of my previous posts on the BBWD, click HERE.
The Black-bellied Whistling Duck (BBWD) above was the designated sentinel of the day, keeping a close watch over the 15 or more fluffy, black and yellow ducklings swimming about nearby with their ‘guardians’.It had been raining all day, and the worst of a severe thunderstorm had just passed. We surmised later that it may have been […]
Birder's Journey 