There is a little pond I drive past on my way to work. By little pond, I mean tiny. Maybe the size of a basketball court. It’s probably man-made and it’s fenced off because it is on the property of a condominium complex.

It is pretty much right along the road, however, so I get a good look at it when I drive by. Usually, there is nothing of note in terms of birds or other wildlife. Every once in a while, a few Canada geese or mallards can be seen swimming along the surface. One day, I saw both Canada geese and mallards. I know, not very exciting.

But the other day I did see something on that tiny pond that made me look a little longer as I drove past. It was a pair of wood ducks effortlessly gliding along the mirror-like surface. The pair swam side-by-side with the male in front of the female – at least from my point of view. During my drive-by, the ducks were near the right edge and swimming toward the middle of the pond. It was like looking at a painting.

The male was resplendent in his breeding attire. Even at 30 mph and dozens of yards away, I could see his awesome coloration and design. There is nothing quite like a male wood duck, especially when it’s been months since you’ve seen one. The female was just as gorgeous although more modestly dressed.

It was a good reminder to always keep your eyes open for good bird or wildlife sightings. You never know what you will see or where you will see it. This is particularly true during migration periods when tired birds will land at the next convenient stop, or birds looking for breeding grounds will drop in and give an area a test run.

This is true of all birds, of course, but it is particularly noticeable with ducks because they are so conspicuous on the open water. It’s not like a tiny warbler flitting among the leafed-out canopy of the vast forest. Ducks are out there for everyone to see.

That said, some ducks, like the wood duck, are also masters at hiding among the vegetated areas of ponds and silently navigating their way among the reeds and cattails. Birds such as common mergansers do not have that luxury. They are larger, brighter and typically on the open water, not lurking along the edges. Food sources for diving ducks are usually in the middle of a lake or pond, so that is where you’ll find those ducks. Smaller divers, such as hooded mergansers, can sometimes get away with stalking the edges, but even they are most often found in more open water.

Be sure to check out the small ponds over the next few weeks as the spring migration takes hold. I know of several ponds that are void or nearly void of wildlife most of the year but often hold birding surprises during migration. One small pond at a cemetery I drive through occasionally will have the odd great blue heron, in addition to mallards and geese, during the summer and is frozen in the winter. But for a few weeks each fall and spring, ducks such as ring-necked ducks, hooded mergansers, American black ducks and even redheads show up and stay for a few days.

The wood ducks I saw the other day got me excited for the spring waterfowl migration, which is already well under way. Wood ducks are a common species of low conservation concern, and I can’t even count how many I’ve seen already, but it is one of those species that always gets the heart racing when you see one.