Ducks

Why take more than one or two pictures of ducks? Or roosters? Or flamingos? It's hard to explain. In Kauai, I couldn't get enough of the roosters and at Disney it was the pink flamingos. When I think of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas it's all about the flamboyant male peacocks. I take dozens and dozens and dozens of photographs. I delete the really bad ones. The blurry  ones. The shots that are just not right. If I'm lucky I find a few that make me smile and remember.

Sometimes I capture reflections on the water. When the light is just right and the ducks move the water into ripples.

I like to see them in pairs. They are committed couples. They work together. The colors on the males are bright, shimmering, and high contrast. The females seem softer, gentler.



Honestly, can I tell them apart? No, but it doesn't matter. I enjoy watching them do what ducks do. Move across the water, find a snack to eat, groom themselves, just be.

Look at the black-banded blue stripe on her side. She is beautiful.



I'm not sure what he's after under his wing. But the water is clear and I can see one of his webbed feet.

I loved watching the black swan. The arch of his neck. His red beak. He's fearless. When the park workers came to clean the pond all the other birds moved away. Not this guy. He continued going about his black swan business.

Sometimes the reflections remind me of impressionist paintings. The colors and the abstract shapes.

Her feathers are soft and wonderful. I didn't want to get any closer, she seemed rather comfortable.

Now this big guy has a stripe on his face like a Nike running shoe.

Okay, I brought some stale bread with me and she is in a big hurry to get her share!

I wasn't the only one in the park with a camera. And a lot of people shared their lunch with these guys.

Okay, I think she is my favorite one. Today, anyway.

The contrasts are wonderful. Why is the water so dark blue?

I love this fat white duck. He's funny. He's serious.
Was that a lot of pictures of ducks? It's only a fraction of the ones I kept. I know I'll take more.