Yesterday I made a quick trip to a local suburban water retention pond, where several migratory bird species overwinter with us. I was shocked to see that no Canada Geese were there, but did spot two Double-Crested Cormorants, a few Ruddy Ducks, and several pairs of Ring-necked ducks (Aythya collaris). All of these are diving birds, so they mostly hung out near in the deeper waters at the center of the pond.
I spent a good amount of time watching one Ring-necked Duck repeatedly dive into the water and would try to guess when and where he would resurface. Male Ring-necked Ducks have a distinctive appearance, with yellow eyes, a striped bill, and a strangely pointed head.
Clouds would drift across the sun from time, causing patterns on the surface of the water to shift and change. I really got caught up in these reflections and these three photos give you a sense of the swirl of colors and patterns that provided an amazing backdrop for these cool-little ducks.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Was th
I was just watching ring-necked ducks yesterday on the west coast, they are a beautiful species, I like the bill. Wonderful to see these three photos and the reflections, lines and patterns in these photos, Mike.
Thanks, Jet. I wasn’t sure if you had ring-necked ducks on the West Coast–I know that there are a number of species that we have on the East Coast that are not present there.
These remind me of that spectacular photo of Fall color reflected in water you posted in October. You could do a whole series of beautiful photos just on water reflections!
Don
Thanks, Don. As it turns out, this was the same location as the photo that you referenced. I guess the light hits the water at the right angle to produce such interesting reflections.
Beautiful water patterns and very cool ducks!
Thanks, Chris. It’s nice when the surroundings cooperate so well–in many ways the water patterns are the co-stars in these images.
Looks as if you had a fun morning! Thanks for sharing.