A month of Sundays

Duck and swan season over, I can 'shoot' in peace in my own way ... with a camera! I have a nice flock of Buffleheads and a small number of Ruddy ducks and now some Swans in the area feeding, playing and singing.

Here is a Ruddy duck, just a gorgeous blend of brown shades. It's a diver duck, diving for grasses or thrown corn. They like to play and will charge each other in a jousting style, beak first! The are not startled and ply about in the water even when approached by boat making them easy picking for certain gunners.

Little Ruddy Duck

Not a lot ducks this season. Have not seen a Bluebill or a Merganser or anything except a Ruddy and Bufflehead. I love to watch them dive and puddle about. A Ruddy duck has a distinctive sharp tail when resting. When it dives that tail spreads wide to help it push down into the water.
Here's a couple shots from today that show a Ruddy atop the water and one into a dive.

See how the tail spreads?