I didn’t realize that there were so many different kinds of ducks until I became interested in bird photography. Of all the varieties of ducks, one of my favorites is the Hooded Merganser. Recently I had an opportunity to photograph a male and a female Hooded Merganser swimming in a pond in Lake Ballinger Park in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. The female–the second duck in the photo above–was having an especially good hair day!

One of my favorite shots from the half hour that I watched and photographed the birds is the one above of the male merganser showing off for his female friend.