Beautiful Wood Ducks and the Morison Knudsen Nature Center

For a long time I have been trying to get a good photograph of one of the most colorful avians in America – the Wood Duck, Aix sponsa. Although they are common in the Northwest I had been looking in all wrong places. Wood Ducks do not like big open stretches of water; they prefer small quiet ponds in secluded areas and near trees where they can lay and develop their eggs. Their nests may be self made in some kind of natural tree formation or in something like a hole previously pounded out by a woodpecker, and their ducklings are famous for jumping out of these high altitude nests just 24 hours after hatching. With that in mind you would not expect to find this animal close to the middle of a populated city. But that is exactly where I found them – in the city limits of Boise, Idaho at the Morison Knudsen Nature Center. Run by the Idaho Fish and Game Department, and a lot of very dedicated volunteers, the MK Nature Center (as is usually referred to) is a very pleasant surprise as close as is to a population center. Mule deer and squirrels were very much in abundance on the day I visited but this small park is home to a number of other unique animals. Beavers have built an impressive structure that borders the home of the wood ducks; red foxes and mink have also been observed there. The pond homing the wood ducks is also inhabited by an enormous, prehistoric looking white sturgeon. Another unique feature of the MK Park is the presence of what I’ll call “natural stream aquariums.” Several streams run through the park and are of course wonderful to look at. The MK folks, however, have taken this one step further and somehow constructed a glass sided viewing attraction where a visitor can see inside the stream just as you would a home aquarium. At just 4.6 acres with a nice visitor center and well marked hard ball paths it is an ideal family outing. Don’t expect a gigantic moose and bear, wilderness adventure. That is not the MK Center. Easy to get to and easy to stroll around in it is a perfect afternoon outing where a lot of wildlife can be observed without a lot of effort. The next time you find yourself rolling around Boise I highly recommend a visit to this charming little park.