Flying low, ruddy duck steals the show

When I go out to photograph wildlife, I usually have a specific species in mind.

The best images are the ones I’ve envisioned ahead of time – carefully planned and executed, with nothing left to chance. I make sure to go to the spots where the species is most abundant, and at the time of year when I can expect to see it in good numbers. I also go at the time of day when the animal is most active. This usually means knowing the species’ biology, habits, food preferences and much more.

I think it’s a common misconception that wildlife photographers just wander around, hoping to get lucky – or that they stand in the woods for hours, waiting for something to transpire right in front of them. Honestly, that might work, but the odds are very low. The best photographers are focused – pun not intended – on a specific species and are actively working to get the shot.

That said, every now and then, while trying to photograph a specific species, another, unrelated one presents itself. That’s exactly what happened this spring. I was out photographing western grebes — a species that requires planning just to see, let alone photograph. This time, a duck species I don’t normally see — or get good opportunities to photograph — happened to be nearby and was busy courting a female. The duck was a ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis).

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The ruddy duck is one of six species of stiff-tailed ducks in the genus Oxyura. They are found in North and South America and breed mostly in the western half of the United States, extending as far east as the Great Lakes. Their common name comes from the male’s rusty red breeding plumage.

It is a small, round, compact duck. The male is rusty or chestnut brown, with a striking black cap and white cheeks. One of its most outstanding features is the large, bright blue bill. It also has a set of dark, nearly black, stiff tail feathers that it cocks straight up while swimming and displaying. Only a handful of duck species have these specialized tail feathers, and the ruddy duck is the only one in North America.

While I’m at it, I mentioned this bird’s large sky-blue bill. Hunters commonly call lesser and greater scaup “bluebills.” But if there were ever a species that deserved that name, it’s the ruddy duck – not the scaup. Just one look at the male and you’ll see what I mean.

Similar to the feathers of blue jays and bluebirds, there’s no actual blue pigment in the male ruddy duck’s bill. In spring, hormones trigger the growth of a thin layer of cells over the dark bill. These cells, along with the dark layer beneath, absorb all wavelengths of sunlight and reflect back only blue light to our eyes. As a result, we perceive the bill as blue.

While I was out photographing, I noticed a single male ruddy duck and one female near the edge of the cattails. He was busy showing off to the female. Male ruddy ducks perform a distinct and unusual drumming display by striking their lower bill (mandible) against their chest feathers. He hits his bill hard enough to produce a rhythmic drumming sound. The act also sends a torrent of bubbles into the water just in front of the displaying male – a behavior known as “bubbling.”

It’s not very common to see ruddy ducks flying. They migrate at night and don’t fly much during the day. However, I got lucky and watched a lone male take a couple of laps around the wetland before landing again. Ruddies don’t fly very high, and they fly fast. Combined with their small size, that makes them a challenging subject to photograph in flight.

This male took flight three times, each time flying far enough away to lose sight of him. After a few minutes, he would come rocketing back in. He cruised just above the cattails and, when he reached open water, dropped down and flew directly over the surface. That allowed me to capture some fabulous, eye-level images of this remarkable little duck in flight.

Sometimes you go out specifically to photograph one species and come home with something completely different. That’s one of the joys of wildlife photography. Until next time …

Editor’s note: Stan Tekiela’s NatureSmart column appears twice a month in the Eden Prairie Local News. Tekiela is an author, naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels extensively across the United States to study and capture wildlife images. 

You can follow his work on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at www.naturesmart.com.