Ring Necked Duck
Tina and I finally went birding today, in spite of the cold north wind. We read a report of a Long-tailed Duck on Lake Vadnais, but were unable to find this rare bird. We were however treated to numerous Common Goldeneyes, Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, several Northern Shovelers and 6 Tundra Swans. We also saw one of our favorite smaller ducks, the Ring-necked Duck. Usually they are hard to photograph as they are smaller than the mallards, and stay a good distance away from shore. While stopping to shoot pictures of the swans, we came across one Ring-necked close to shore, diving for lunch.
Normal shot of ducks look like this:
Notice lone Bufflehead in mix