The Brazos Bend State Park in Texas (map) is a great place for wildlife photography, especially for taking pictures of alligators and birds. Last week, I visited the park again to photograph birds. One of the most interesting bird species of the park is the black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis). It’s a tropical bird common in Central America and South America. It can also be found in southeast Texas and seasonally in Arizona, Louisiana and Florida. The North American population has greatly increased since the 1950s, partly because the ducks are willing to use nest boxes put out for them in Texas and Mexico. They often nest in colonies and their nest sites are normally in tree cavities. That’s where their former name “tree ducks” comes from, however, they also frequently nest on ground near water. They are quite unique among ducks, because they may mate for life. Whistling ducks commonly feed on grain, seeds, insects and mollusks. They like to perch high in dead trees and on logs over water. Whistling ducks are very sociable and noisy birds with a clear whistling call.

I found this small flock on the Elm Lake at Brazos Bend. Some of the birds were sleeping when I spotted them, but I wanted to photograph the ducks as all of them were awaken. I waited a bit for the right time and fortunately I was able to take one perfect shot, just before some of the ducks started to sleep again.

Gear: Canon EOS 7D, Canon 300mm F/4 lens, Canon 1.4x extender, Manfrotto tripod