Mandarin Duck Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: This little guy certainly caused a stir when he showed up a small urban park in Yankton, South Dakota in the fall of 2020! He was all the rage in the local media, making the newspapers and evening news, and drawing visitors from around the state (and beyond). The little male Mandarin Duck suddenly appeared in October of 2020 and hung around the pond for several weeks, bonding closely with a male Wood Duck while there. The two were inseparable, following each other everywhere, and even defending "territory" from other waterfowl that got too close to the pair.

Like many, I made the drive (1 1/2 hours for me) to see the little guy and photograph him. On a cold November morning, everything came together for the photo below. Warm, early morning light, a cooperative duck, a little showing off and a splash by the bird, and even some reflected light off of a nearby sign that resulted in the photo below. One of my all-time favorite photos, of such a beautiful little bird.

Mandarin Duck - Aix galericulata


Mandarin Duck 1 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Mandarin Duck 2 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Mandarin Duck 3 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Mandarin Duck 4 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota

Mandarin Duck 5 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Mandarin Duck 6 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Mandarin Duck 7 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Wood and Mandarin Duck 1 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota

Wood and Mandarin Duck 2 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Wood and Mandarin Duck 3 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Wood and Mandarin Duck 4 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Wood and Mandarin Duck 5 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota

Wood and Mandarin Duck 6 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Wood and Mandarin Duck 7 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota	Wood and Mandarin Duck 8 November 15th, 2020 Yankton, South Dakota