I snapped some shots this morning of a ducks flying overhead. Poor ducks will reverse course sometimes if they see something pointed at them … like a camera lens. If you make a trip to heavily hunted turf like Gray Lodge or the areas around Cosumnes Preserve, you’ll see what skittish really looks like. The slightest footfall will send them flying and scampering. I wish they didn’t have to be so terrified. But they do. And I try not to traumatize them further with any surprise moves with my camera.

I didn’t realize until I offloaded his image that this Mallard drake was giving me a serious look on the fly by. I can’t say what he was thinking but a few captions come to mind. The shot — and the close crop:

Eye of the Mallard - ©ingridtaylar

Eye of the Mallard – ©ingridtaylar

Photo Crop

Photo Crop

Taken at Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds in San Rafael, California.