Just Ducky

Our walks have suffered a bit due to heat and this and that, and don't forget the other thing. However, one morning early last week was very pleasant, so rather than continuing to walk right through the park as has become our custom, we detoured to the bench by the river.

Along the way, we spotted this boy fishing in the pond. It seemed like an almost quintessential summer photo op.

We proceeded to the bench that you have seen many times and in various seasons. In summer, the riverbank is lined with foliage, but a little gap has been maintained opposite the bench.

A very cool thing happened as we sat there gazing outward although I lean to gazing inward. We spotted a lot of vigorous duck activity way over near the opposite bank. The ducks were being extremely frisky. It was almost as though they were running on the water and creating a lot of splashing as they zoomed back and forth.

Eventually, they zoomed nearer to us with great exuberance. Sue jumped up and used her telephoto lens to try to catch the action. Under the circumstances, they are not stupendous photos, but we were surprised by what they revealed.

You see, they we're not our usual, more sedate mallard ducks, which, except for one other rare and fleeting occasion in our many years here, are the only ducks that we have ever seen. No, they were either mergansers or grebes, which I think are similar species in appearance. The splashing in the next photo reveals a bit of how active they were zipping back and forth in a manner that mallards would surely disdain. They were frolicking merrily, speedily and splashily.

So that was an extra treat in what was already a most pleasant morning.