Today we have assorted photos of MALLARD DRAKES courtesy of Emilio d’alise. His notes and captions, which are brief, are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them. He sent a lot of photos, so I had to make a judicious selection. This is part 1 of several parts. To come: hens, landing, and flapping.
Mallard or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos)
These mallards were all photographed in Monument, Colorado, on a pond behind the Public Library. There is a large population of ducks and geese that inhabit the pond nearly year-round, in part because people feed them.
Drakes feeding (this upside-down foraging is called “dabbling”:
Thanks for these, I never tire of ducks.
Beautiful ducks! Sorry I did not comment earlier.
Came for the mallard pictures, stayed for the terrific water patterns.