There were far more geese than ducks at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, but there was a wide variety of ducks. The Cinnamon Teal is a beautiful duck I seldom see, so I was looking forward to seeing one at the refuge, though they refused to cooperate. The only one I saw close-up had his head tucked under its wing and refused to budge the twenty minutes Leslie and I were taking pictures at the mid-way outlook. In the end, I had to settle for this shot of one in the distance.
There were, however, several male Gadwalls, another duck I seldom see, that seemed more willing to pose. I’ve long admired their subtle beauty.
It’s also been quite a while since I’ve seen Ring-Necked Ducks locally, but there were several at the refuge, including this pair.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t recognize this duck
until I saw it swim away and it became obvious it was a male Green-winged Teal.
I usually see them at Theler Wetlands where we are looking down at them from the dike or the bridge and seldom see them from the front.
Ironically, my favorite duck shot of the day is this shot of a male Northern Pintail,
a duck we see quite often locally. What makes it special is that the ponds at the Sacrament NWR are higher than the road you are driving on, which allows you to see them at eye level. At Theler I would have to lay down in the wetlands to get this angle.