BRAINERD, MINN. — Minnesotans with eyes and ears toward the outdoors likely know about the recent passing of Don (Duckman) Helmeke. Duckman had a passion for waterfowl -- in particular wood ducks -- ...

All diehard duck hunters have their favorite species, and they’ll usually rank them something like this: greenheads, canvasbacks, and pintails. But living and hunting in the northern half of the ...

Few birds, in Ohio or anywhere else, can rival the drake wood duck for sheer gaudiness. It’s as if a team of great artists was commissioned to design and color the fowl. Rodin sculpted the graceful ...

The male wood duck has an iridescent “slicked-back” crest, red eyes, a bill striped with yellow, red, white and black, a bright-white “bridle” and boldly colored feathers on its body and wings. A ...

White-tailed deer fawns are born. The first monarch butterflies arrive. New cattail leaves grow 2 to 5 feet, making marshes look green again. Gardeners harvest leaf lettuce, radishes, green onions, ...

One day after hatching, a baby wood duck is ready to take a remarkable leap of faith. The fluffy chick climbs to the narrow opening of its nest and peeks over the edge. Its mother paddles in a ...

In honor of Earth Month—and Earth Day later this week—we’re celebrating the best way we know how: with a series of stories that are all about getting outside and getting your hands dirty to benefit ...

Wood ducks are thriving today in wetland areas across the United States. But this wasn't always the case, according to a new regional blog post from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Once on ...

“Wood ducks are stunningly beautiful with the best sense of smell and the largest eyes of any duck species in North America,” writes photographer Angela Marie. “They like to nest in tree cavities over ...

HORICON – On this mid-February day, Horicon Marsh was locked in ice and covered with snow. Not a bird or mammal stirred in sight. But the conditions were perfect to open some of the marsh's secrets.

I spent a lot of years chasing poachers and outlaws during my career as a duck cop. And during that time I developed a gigantic love for all waterfowl. I was a pushover for the Canada goose, ...

The drake wood duck in spring breeding plumage is probably the continent’s most beautiful waterfowl. That's pretty much a given among bird lovers, and that alone makes this duck so appreciated. But ...