My favorite duck! The wood ducks (Aix sponsa) I've seen are the most beautiful ducks ever. My favorite wood duck, Woody, has his own page on this site.
My buddy Woody departed the Pond in Central Park in the fall of 2019 and I have not seen him since. But I have had the pleasure of seeing other wood ducks both in Central Park and elsewhere over the years. A number of these ducks are featured below.
Wood duck, the Loch, Central Park, January 2, 2023
Wood Ducks Show Their Colors in Green-Wood Cemetery
Wood ducks seem to find of Prospect Park, just north of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, a great breeding location. But several wood ducks have found the waters of Green-Wood Cemetery very calming. The photos in this gallery were taken at Sylvan Waters, Dell Waters and Crescent Waters in 2024.
The Many Wood Ducks in Prospect Park
Prospect Park in Brooklyn has been a breeding location for wood ducks for quite some time. If you scroll down, you’ll see some of the ducklings from 2020. When I visited on March 10, 2023, I counted 13 wood ducks swimming around (there could have been more). What a joy!
Female and male wood ducks at the Lake, Prospect Park, March 10, 2023
Wood ducks in Prospect Park, March 10, 2023
Woody Jr. on the Reservoir With His Mallard Girlfriend
Woody Jr. with his mallard friend, March 9, 2023
Woody Jr. was also seen with his girlfriend on December 27, 2022. This slideshow features some of his magnificence.
A Wood Duck at the Loch, Central Park
This wood duck was especially photogenic, and the following gallery shows some of his many expressions. All were taken on January 2, 2023, at the Loch in the North Woods of Central Park.
The Very Photographic Wood Ducks
Male wood duck, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, April 11, 2022
Woody Jr., at the Reservoir, Central Park, January 16, 2022. This duck came when I called “Woody, Woody, Woody!,” which makes me think this was one of the young wood ducks “trained” by Woody, Prince of the Pond, when he was in residence at 59th Street.
Woody Jr. on the Reservoir with his mallard girlfriend, February 10, 2022. Woody, Prince of the Pond, was well known for chasing a female mallard around (even mating with her), and his attraction to mallards, I believe, was shared with the young male wood ducks he mentored.
Woody Jr. on the Reservoir, February 26, 2022
Woody Jr. showing off, February 26, 2022
Male wood duck, the Pool, Central Park, October 22, 2021
Male wood duck at the Prospect Park Lake, April 4, 2021
Female wood duck, Prospect Park Lake, April 19, 2021
Female wood duck, Prospect Park Lake, May 13, 2021
Male wood duck, Prospect Park Lake, May 13, 2021
Woody Jr. at the Pond
Woody Jr. comes when I call him (I bribe him with peanuts and sunflower seeds), first at Turtle Pond in Central Park in spring 2020, then at the Pond. I believe Woody Jr. was “trained” by Woody, Prince of the Pond, at some point, and in the summer of 2020 he has returned to the Pond and is providing delight and awe in all who see him.
Woody Jr. at the Pond, Central Park, August 17, 2020. The yellow rim around his eyes distinguish him from Woody, Prince of the Pond.
The many looks and moods of Woody Jr. at the Pond, Central Park, July 12 to August 18, 2020.
Before Woody Jr. took up summer residence at the Pond, he hung out for a bit at Turtle Pond (a bit north of the Ramble). These photos were taken June 14 to June 24, 2020.
There were two other male wood ducks at Turtle Pond in June and July, both of them molting. Neither of them responded to my call, so I do not believe either was one of Woody’s trainees.
Molting male wood duck, Turtle Pond, Central Park, June 24, 2020
Male wood duck, Turtle Pond, July 8, 2020
Male wood duck, Turtle Pond, July 8, 2020
Baby Wood Ducks
Baby wood ducks are the cutest ducklings imaginable. I finally got to see and photograph some babies in Prospect Park on July 12, 2020. What a joy! Wood ducks nest in trees or tree boxes, usually above the water. Soon after the ducklings are born, they jump out of the nest in a spectacular leap (search YouTube for videos of these intrepid babies).
Mama Wood Duck with three of her kids, Prospect Park, July 12, 2020
Wood Ducks Who Aren’t the Prince of the Pond
Woody, Prince of the Pond in Central Park, is a star in his own right. But wood ducks are such glorious ducks that all should be celebrated.
A male wood duck at the Loch, North Woods, Central Park, March 12, 2020. The duck is blind in the left eye.
Wood duck, the Loch, March 12, 2020. I was especially intrigued by the reflection.
Viscount Woody (also known as Woody Jr.) at the Pond, Central Park, February 4, 2019
Young male wood duck, the Pond, Central Park, Jan. 9, 2018
Woody Wood Duck, the Pond, Jan. 9, 2018
J3 (Junior Junior Junior), one of Woody's students, at the Pond, April 4, 2018
