Duck!

Yesterday’s hike took me a full 125 feet to the back of my yard, where our creek runs. We’ve had a pair of mallard ducks there for the past couple of weeks. A pair has shown up for at least the last 5 years, but I have no idea whether it is the same pair or not. I would guess they are nesting, but I’ve never seen any ducklings. (I am also concerned about a couple a cats in the area—their owners just let them run loose and it drives me crazy.)

Here’s a shot with the male swimming in our creek:

Male Mallard Swimming

You can see the “unfocused” female farther away. That tree on the right is one of our bald cypresses. (I really like that kind of tree, and have at least a dozen on our property.

Here is another shot, from a slightly different angle. In this one, the female
is very well camouflaged. She is just to the left of the male, right in front of
that small tree.

Male Mallard and Well-hidden Female

By the way, we have been having a ton of rain, and every step in my back yard is squish city. Fortunately, my perennial footwear is completely waterproof.