Beloved neighbor and I have been good about walking earlier in the morning this week. We were moving along at a good pace when…wow…we both stopped short to gander…
Wow! Beautiful birds, about a dozen, lined up along the pond edge up by the schools. I had to try to take a picture over the top of the fence–and I include it here so you can get an idea of the size of this bird. They are not large.
But what are they??? I’ve never seen this bird. We started reciting what we were seeing: bright orange short bills, pink legs, swimming feet, black underneath and a warm beautiful brown on the upper body and neck.
Beloved neighbor had an ID almost as soon as we got home.
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. What?? This one was totally new to both of us.
I found this picture of one in flight.
Here’s a link so you can read more–and there is a link to the high-pitched whistling call they make. These ducks can and do sit in trees. Truly they are very different from other ducks.
What a gift to see them on our morning walk.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-bellied_Whistling-Duck/overview
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