Last weekend at Orlando Wetlands Park, the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were having nesting territory disputes. Or playing a game of Musical Trees. Maybe both. ;-)
This is a typical scene at Orlando Wetlands. The Black-bellied Whistling Ducks nest in the tops of the dead palm trees. At this time of year, it’s not at all unusual to see the trees decorated with ducks. Their cheerful calls echo across the wetlands and make everybody smile.
Except…
Count the eyes in the picture below.
Three is a crowd! At least three ducks were claiming this tree. There was much wing-flapping involved. Each bird would fly around trying to push the other birds off the tree. It was very animated.
When the competition got especially fierce, the birds took to the air to continue bickering.
I’m not really sure who won. The birds all seemed to lose interest in tree-hopping and flew off. Maybe it was time to look for breakfast.
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2 thoughts on “Musical Trees with the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks”
Great pictures and story. In all my visits to Florida, I don’t think I’ve ever seen palm trees without tops like in your pictures. Very interesting.. Are they just in the wetlands of Orlando?
Not just in Orlando. I’ve seen dead palm trees at Viera Wetlands and the Circle B Bar Reserve also. They are perfect nesting cavities for the whistlers!
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