Today Jack and I took a walk around the reservoir, hoping that we would see some different kinds of ducks. We knew it was a little iffy because the marathon was today, and they were coming down the east side of the park quite near the reservoir, so there might be a crowd from that. But since it was on the east side it didn't block our access, so we decided to go for it. So glad we did!
There were about 5 or 6 buffleheads, cruising around and diving a lot. They are sort of hard to get pictures of, they are so focused on diving!
There were several ruddy ducks. This one came over to say hello, and show off her diving skills. I guess she saw how the bufflehead dives delighted us!
This turtle was a holdout sunning on the side of the reservoir, I don't really know what was going on with him. It's rare for me to see them there, although I'm not there in summer very often so I can't really be sure. It looks like his shell is peeling and in bad shape. That's can't be good for a turtle......
There were a few (I think 3) gadwalls gliding. They declined to turn into the beautiful light, so I only got crappy pictures.
There were about 5 or 6 hooded mergansers, at first they were a ways away, but somehow Jack convinced them to come right over and hide in the brush by his feet. 3 of them came over, one male and two female. Here's the male tucked in, taking a bit of a rest. Hopefully this year I'll get a good shot of one with the hood deployed, it's so cool!
This northern shoveler teased me for a long long time, just floating along all tucked in. He finally opened up for a very brief paddle, then tucked in again.
As were continued walking along, Jack spotted a few kinglets at the water's edge! This golden crowned kinglet was quite happy to be photographed and gawked at.
She seemed actually to revel in the attention!
This ruby crowned kinglet was a bit more reticent, at least when it came to pictures. They were a joy to spend some time with!
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