Wood Ducks are perching ducks and their strong claws help them to grip when perched on trees limbs. This autumn I have been photographing Wood Ducks from a blind in a remote section of a pond in upstate NY. This image was the most difficult that I’ve gotten so far. The ducks were not in their typical spot that day so I forged my way further through even thicker briars, brush and out of control tree roots to find an even more remote section of the pond. And I ended up on the wrong side of the sun. However, that worked in my favor because the shade enhanced the brilliant blues of the feathers and the sunlight highlighted some of the more difficult to see features of the bird, like the claws. Finding these ducks in remote settings is challenging, but it is worth it to see them in their natural habitat, with no human presence (except me, of course). October 2014