black-bellied whistling duck

Black-bellied whistling ducks have brown eyes...unless you find one with a genetic anomaly. This one had striking blue eyes, which stands out more than you'd think when you are looking at 20-30 whistling ducks that all look the same...except one

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis fulgens), Roseate Spoonbills (Ajaja ajaja) Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors), Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus mexicanus).

Approaching straight at me at high speed - an interesting perspective of the duck for an in-flight shot

This was the closest I had seen these ducks come to the shoreline at Eagle Lakes Park. That's our Blue-winged Teal in the foreground on the right.

clearly had a following ;) The only bird(s) I got a decent shot of at Big Branch Marsh, but this shot does show some promise of more birds to come ;)

Looking back through my photos, I could also see the scene from what might be the duckling perspective - as a learning-by-imitation situation ;)

At first, I saw the scene from my own perspective, and it did make a great show of the adult's wing plumage.

not finding the far birdier area of the park I was looking for, I did get 3 lifers, one first shot (though seen once before), and one more trip tick to boot. I also experienced the muggy heat, a thunderstorm and downpour, a streetcar delay, an embarrassed state trooper (he'd forgotten to take...

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis subsp. fulgens). Sexes similar. Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Chambers County, Texas, USA. Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes Vegetational Area. Shoveler pond.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis). Also American Coot (Fulica americana subsp. americana) and Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta subsp. elegans:Emydidae). King Compound, McAllen, Hidalgo County, Texas, USA. Man-made pond surrounded by a mesquite thicket mixed with...

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis subsp. autumnalis) Sexes similar. Mom with her 3/4 grown ducklings still very attentive. Shoveler Pond, Anauhac National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of High Island abutting East Bay, Chambers County, Texas, USA. Coastal marshes and prairies at...

Dendrocygna autumnalis Black-bellied Whistling Duck

A Black-Bellied Whistling Duck at Green Cay Wetlands, Boynton Beach, Florida.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck family (Dendrocygna autumnalis subsp. autumnalis) Sexes similar. The orange-pink billed individuals are adults. Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Chambers County, Texas, USA. Margin of Shoveler Pond. Gulf prairies and marshes at ca. 2 m (6.6 ft) elevation.

A family of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks under the boardwalk at Green Cay Wetlands, Boynton Beach, Florida.

A group of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks near a pond at Dyer Park, West Palm Beach, Florida.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis subsp. autumnalis) Sexes similar. Photographed in Jamaica Beach, Galveston Island, Galveston County, Texas, USA. Barrier Island, manicured coastal prairie at ca. 3 m (10.7 ft) elevation.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis autumnalis) While three subspecies have been cited in literature. Subspecies fulgens is considered by most if not all to be invalid. The nominate ranges from North America south through Central Panama while subspecies discolor ranges from...

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

At first I didn't see one of the little ones, just the mother, but on getting closer they moved reluctantly into the water and I saw all five ducklings. Check out the parent's reflection in the top right--never far away.

When I approached the water she let out her amazing whistle and on the second call, her mate flew right in to help her defend against me. Listen to their call at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-bellied_Whistling-Duck/sounds

What a thrill to see this guy and his family this week--definitely a first for me in the wild.