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 […]
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (BBWD’s) are found year-round in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Mexico, and South and Central America, and are known to breed mostly in coastal Texas (All About Birds).But we happen to be lucky to have many breeding pairs of these charming ducks here in Palm Beach County, Florida every year! They are so […]
These protective Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were whistling up a storm and making quite a scene this morning as we strolled along the boardwalk. We soon realized what all the commotion was about. . . Mama and her fuzzy little “bumblebee” ducklings were out and about, a time for all the grown-ups to keep a close watch […]
Sometimes a seemingly ‘random’ collection of photos doesn’t really ‘tell a story’, but I want to post them as a tribute to the wonders of nature all around me. Maybe the ‘story’ is a reminder to be thankful and never to take this beauty for granted. These little wonders also make me think of one […]
You just can’t help but smile with Black-bellied Whistling Ducks around 😉 They are so charming, so friendly, so cheerful – and so photogenic!Always a treat to watch them up in the snag, surveying the ‘pondscape’ and singing their hearts out . . . Love to catch them landing – or taking off – along […]
No doubt about it, southeast Florida can be very hot in mid-August. So what do the birds do to keep cool?? Many birds, like Hawks and Wood Storks, soar overhead, circling above the wetlands to take advantage of high altitude currents where the air is cooler. Most birds try to keep their cool by being much less active […]
This past week, our Shabbat Torah reading, which was the second portion of the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), opened with one of the most poignant and moving statements ever made by the great leader Moshe Rabbenu (Moses). G-d has previously told Moshe that, despite Moshe’s great love for Eretz Israel, he will never enter the […]
A couple of weeks ago, we decided to go for a quiet little early afternoon walk at a park we’d never visited before. We thought we’d really enjoy our natural surroundings more if we left our phones in the car ;-). Unfortunately, we also left our jug of water in the car, a really foolish […]
This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for – the arrival of a large new group of Black-Bellied Whistling Duck babies!The Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are everyone’s favorite, I think – the adults always look so handsome, with their long necks, beautiful coloring, and upright posture. And the babies are just an absolute treat – […]
The Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are everywhere these days. And, since Black-bellied Whistling Duck takes so long to write and say, I often shorten it by just writing BBWD 😉 One of my favorite birds (definitely my favorite ducks), they are really fun to watch as they ‘stand guard’ in pairs and little groups. Unlike other ducks who spend […]
