A very sweet Mallard couple…

…we are still stuck on last Saturday at Voice of America Park! It was such a beautiful day and the sun was so bright it made everything look extra nice, which meant I couldn’t stop clicking that camera (since then it's been horribly rainy and cold, so it's a good thing I did). This male Mallard was at the first turn in the lake. I don’t know if he thought he was hiding in the cattails, but with the sun intensifying the beautiful jewel tones in his feathers, he couldn’t have been more conspicuous, however, the lovely female was practically hidden in the reeds, and it wasn’t until she moved out into the open that we noticed her.

The males are such "dudes" with their flashy emerald 

heads, but there is something so sweet and beautiful 

in the female's face and camouflaged plumage.

Also on the lake was a small flock of American Coots swimming around like they owned the place. They were very entertaining and also very good at synchronized swimming. Near them was a cute little Pied-billed Grebe, diving, disappearing and resurfacing over and over. So cute…

I always enjoy scanning an empty pond looking for 

a solitary Pied-billed Grebe doing his diving thing! This 

guy, however, was sharing his space with the coots.

…a little later, a Horned Grebe showed up, just stopping off for a rest on his long journey north. I love it when I catch migrants passing through. It’s so exciting. These birds have so many miles to cover and so much to do when they arrive, I can’t help but marvel at them.

Not the best photo, but you can just make out 

his red eye and almost see his "horned" feathers.

Finally, when we were leaving, I noticed a small 

flock of Blue-winged Teal on the pond next to the 

lake. Not the best photo, but good enough for ID.

…and last but not least, a photo of Rick, the Spotter. I took this photo shortly before he spotted a Bobolink (our first of the year). He didn't know he was being photographed. With camera in hand, I'm slowly turning into a birding paparazzi.

Hi Spotman!