Willow, the Gritty, Little Wood Duck Sings Her Own Tune to Survive Bitter NYC Winter

Willow, separating herself this morning from the crowd to get first digs at seeds falling onto snowy, sloped embankment.

"I want to eat alone," she says for the moment.

No one knows her story or how this little female wood duck with the sexy white eyeliner, came to spend most of this harsh New York City winter hanging with the geese and mallards at the Jackie Onassis Reservoir in Central Park.

.

Wood ducks are generally unusual at the location, though occasionally we see a few in the warmer weather.

.

But, since feeding the geese and mallards at the south west portion of the Reservoir (near the open water fountain), during these frigid, bitter weeks, I have noted the gritty little female woodie moving to the fore, claiming her space, grabbing whatever nourishment she can and then flying back to the safety of the still remaining open water.

.

Though she doesn't appear to have any actual "friends" among the geese and mallards, Willow nevertheless seeks their company and protection, oftentimes immersing herself unobtrusively among them.

.

For their part, the mallards and geese mostly ignore Willow, though I noted a mallard hen this morning competing with and gently chasing the smaller woodie from some stray sunflower seeds in the snow.

.

Willow generally likes to separate herself from the bunch when feeding by coming up on the sloped, icy embankment and quickly grabbing the seeds that fall there. The going is slippery and a bit treacherous, but Willow is obviously able to get more food this way than by competing with the larger and more crowded birds on the actual Reservoir (which these days, is like an ice skating rink).

.

A few birders have worried about Willow being "all alone" at the Reservoir and as such, representing an "easy target" for pick off by a hawk or other raptor. But, as noted, Willow is not dumb. She seems to realize her vulnerability and as noted, usually mixes herself among the other water birds with the exception of feeding time.  But, even then she is quick to fill her belly and make a hasty retreat back to the safety of the water. She is not one to hang around on the ice like a number of the geese do.

.

My general feeling about Miss Willow is that she is a real little trooper and has so far shown herself to be quite remarkable and smart about surviving this brutal winter even without flockmates or an actual mate.

.

My hope is that if Willow can further survive the remaining weeks of winter, one of those handsome and brightly colored male woodies will show up (like last spring and summer) and request her wing in duckie matrimony. 

.

After all, Willow certainly is a pretty little thing and she's got a brain that helped get her through the Siberian Express and having to negotiate her way with a whole bunch of mallards and Canada geese.

.

What could be more attractive to a male wood duck than that?  -- PCA

.

.

.

                                                    ***********