In the air, they’re merely astonishing. Wood ducks in flight streak across the open sky, and as they drop through the treetops, toward some hidden creek channel or pond below, they side-slip and careen through the branches as if guided by an unseen puppeteer. Once on the water and lit by the sun, astonishment gives way to true bewilderment. There is no more gorgeous a duck than the wood duck drake. This is Aix sponsa, the “waterbird in a bridal dress,” Thoreau’s “ornament to a river.” Wood ducks are year-round residents of North Carolina, so there’s ample opportunity to find yourself in a flooded wood, at sunrise or sunset, to catch the show. Then you’ll understand what John James Audubon meant when he described these birds descending through the sycamores and maples of yore. “Scenes like these,” he wrote, “I have enjoyed a thousand times, yet regret that I have not enjoyed them oftener.”
Feature image: A male wood duck, or drake, floats through a cypress swamp near Moyock. Females are less colorful.
Why does this Haywood County town have some of the cleanest water in the state? It’s the result of the community’s efforts to keep the forests in its watershed pristine.
The spectacular views in North Carolina’s High Country aren’t just inspiration for writers, painters, and sculptors. Those landscapes — the rugged gray face of Grandfather Mountain, the vibrant fall leaves, the deep green meadows — are brushstrokes on Earth’s own canvas.
The sprawling vineyards and wide-open skies that stretch for miles across seven North Carolina counties offer relaxing getaways — not to mention some of the state’s finest wines — for Sunday drivers aching to escape the rush of city life.
Nothing lasts forever — and that’s what makes many of our cherished moments so special.
