Woodduck surprise

[Tom Flanigan]

Not to be misunderstood, the duck season is over and my retriever and I were just walking and observing. No shooting, of course. I visit the ducks throughout the year, even in the off season. Many times I'll just throw out some decoys off season and watch the ducks land among them and swim around. I enjoy it more and more each year. Frankly, I almost enjoy sitting there for a few hours just observing more than shooting. Especially the woodducks. Maybe its because I'm older but I can imagine the day when I'll stop shooting the local woodducks. I have a special fondness for them. I stopped shooting the hens years ago and I'll probably stop killing the drakes at some point also. Seeing that pair today was a special thrill. I'm looking forward to the big flocks coming back in the spring. I'll be there to welcome them and observe. For me, its absolutely soul satisfying.

[Dean Romig]

I imagine with the wood ducks it is early arrivals but we have a great blue heron, a kingfisher, mallards, hooded mergansers, eastern bluebirds, flocks of robins, and other birds all winter long that I would have expected to migrate away. And my local Shawaheen River has been completely frozen over for much of the time. But as soon as it thaws enough to show a bit of open water they’re on it immediately. I guess we may be witnessing some kind of phenomenon or maybe there really is a climate change going on. But maybe the fact that I’m only about 35 miles from the ocean has a lot to do with at least the waterfowl staying nearby and the Merrimack River is less than 6 miles away helps to explain it.





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