Wood duck makes appearance at Munson Pond

Male wood duck at Munson Pond, March 19, 2026.

Although I know wood ducks inhabit many of the Lakes and slow streams of southern British Columbia, this is the first one I have seen at Munson Pond in the five years I have lived in Kelowna.  I have many photos of them in the Fraser Valley, where I lived for over 30 years, and have never seen them outside of our province.  They can be found throughout the Pacific Northwest, into southern Alberta, and in the east from the Great Lakes all the way down to Florida.  

The male wood duck is known for its brightly coloured plumage, which sets it apart from most other ducks, with the possible exception of the Mandarin.  They look like females when juveniles and have an eclipse plumage when they are not breeding.  The three feather patterns are quite different from each other.  You can have a good look at them here.  (Be sure to scroll to the right to see the male's eclipse state).

I photographed a wood duck 2 years ago in Langley and wrote a blog on shooting with a mirrorless camera instead of a DSLR.  You can see the photo and read my comparison here.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


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