I am not one to normally seek out ducks for pictures but when these colorful creatures come to town, I do my best to pay them a visit. Wood Ducks visit a park south of Denver each fall for a few weeks and yesterday I had the opportunity.

They are extraordinarily beautiful and one of the most colorful waterfowl, especially the male pictured here. Females’ coloring is quite a bit more subdued but still beautiful in their own right. Wood Ducks are one of the few waterfowl that actually are comfortable nesting and perching in trees.

There is a little park in a suburb of Denver where Wood ?Ducks? are known to frequent. I took a quick trip down there yesterday afternoon and unfortunately there weren’t many to be found – in fact only this one.

While she was quite beautiful, I really was hoping to get some images of the males as they are amazing and it has been a year since I have captured images of any. Nevertheless, as always, it was great just to get out and take some pics.

This is half of a brood of juvenile Mallard Ducks that was swimming across a pond this past weekend. While not ducklings anymore, they are still pretty darned cute and the one raising its head seemed to be showing off for the camera.

Well, this was a bit of a surprise. I have a basic backyard bird feeder with safflower feed. To date haven’t seen much beyond house finches and doves.

Last week, after I left for work, my kids said there were two ducks in the yard. Yesterday, the pair stopped by briefly in the rain but I didn’t have time to grab my camera. Tonight, they came again and hung out for 15 minutes or so and I was able to sit out on the porch and take some pics.

They ate some of the seed that had fallen into the grass, waddled around, and then took off. It was already pretty dark thanks to the clouds and evening sun (or lack thereof) so the pics aren’t all that great. No water to speak of near me in suburbia so I’m not sure why they have chosen my backyard. Guess they just like the seed. 😉 Lots of fun to watch although my dogs weren’t too happy with the guests.

The mood at the pond really went downhill this afternoon when Fred the Flasher arrived. 😉

Male Northern Shoveler ?ducks? at a pond in Thornton, Colorado, USA.?

Wood Ducks are probably the coolest looking water fowl I have ever seen. The male, seen here, is so colorful it is hard to imagine. Females, while more subdued, are beautiful in their own right. This male had just dives under water in search of a snack and when he popped up, began vigorously flapping his wings to dry off.

With as common as Mallard ducks are, I don’t normally train my lens on them but sometimes I can’t resist. The lighting was soft and pleasant on this day and the partly cloudy skies made the water look like silver. Throw in this fine looking drake with his brilliant green head and it made for a nice picture. I am always amazed at how fine and detailed feathers on ducks are and this image really shows them off.

A Northern Shoveler utilizes the infamous ‘Stand on one leg and hide your face’ camouflage tactic. Didn’t work so well. 😉

A male Hooded ?Merganser? comes in for a landing on the South Platte River. These small ?#?ducks? are best known for the sizeable crest on top of their heads. This particular guy had just touched down on the South Platte River near ??Denver? when I snapped the picture.