Preening Mallard

Today we took the sailboat to Claytor Lake to put it in the slip for the year. It was too windy to sail, believe it or not. I spent some time in the little bay near the docks watching three male mallards go about their business. This one got chased off by the other two several times. All three were gorgeous birds, and it was so fun to sit and watch them preen, clean, and then nap. I decided to post this photo because I liked the abstract nature of the photo and the fact that you have to look a little bit to recognize what kind of animal you are looking at. A beautiful male mallard duck.