62 Nebraskaland • August-September 2021
THE LAST STOP
JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND
By Jeff Kurrus
MY FIRST WOOD DUCK
Somehow, I had never photographed a wood duck
before. Growing up hunting woodies in the backwater
sloughs of the Mississippi River, watching them
maneuver through the cypress trees like they were
Ewoks riding speeder bikes in Return of the Jedi, one
would figure I would have taken a camera at some
point and captured a shot or two of these beautiful
birds. Nope. Or, maybe figured as a photographer for
this publication, I would have accidentally run into
one on any number of photoshoots across the state.
Not then either.
I had added a wood duck to my "need to shoot"
list, alongside a clutch of turkey eggs in the woods, a
coyote with a fresh kill in its mouth and a family of
raccoons perfectly lined up on a tree branch. (Note:
This last example remains the most haunting image
I could have made had I taken my camera along
while riding with a farmer on his land.)
Then came COVID. Last spring, when the world
shut down and I was resigned to my home, I began
looking for photo subjects within walking distance.
And on the first warm day of the year, I drove by a
nearby wetland, recently formed by beavers, and
saw two woodies lift from the water along with a
pair of mallards and a Canada goose.
The very next day, a hen and drake wood duck
landed on the water not 30 yards from my photo
blind. Despite the overcast morning, the drake's
head seemingly glowed, the menagerie of colors
reflecting from the water. Watching him and his
female counterpart, I was as nervous photographing
that pair as anything I had ever seen in the wild — so
much in fact that my viewfinder completely fogged
over as I tried to manage my rapid heart rate and
heavy breathing.
When the pair finally lifted, I climbed out of my
blind and strutted back to my house as proud as I had
ever been after a photo shoot. While I already knew
I had seen many wood duck images more beautiful
than what mine would be, I finally had my own to
share.
I wish I would have made it a priority sooner.
So if you have the opportunity to capture a life list
photograph, take it. And if the photo subject makes
your heart skip a beat while you press the button,
continue to do so until your camera card is full.
