What the Duck?

[Jeff]

Caught this guy on the tacticam this morning, but it was still lowlight mode, so no color. Antbody know what it might be by this photo? I've never been a duckhunter. I initially thought Mallard, but???

[Magicman]

I would agree, Mallard Drake.

[SwampDonkey]

Looks like a mallard drake to me. There has been about 40 mallard drakes hanging around on a tiny beaver pond at a neighbor's for the last 4 weeks. The pond is smaller than your man made one, Jeff, by half. And is close beside the main road, but that road has low traffic. It's quite a sight because you usually only get a pair of ducks on such ponds. But this time of year ducks will even gather at small spring pools or mud puddles. At the back of the old farm, a field would flood in spring from overland flow. We called it the lake field. 200 or 300 geese would show up there every spring flying north. The kind of site only a land owner would see, you can't see it from any highway.

[Dakota]

Looks like a Golden Eye duck

[KEC]

With a fair degree of confidence, I concur with drake Mallard. I can't see the white mark on the head seen on Goldeneyes. As they say with pictures of wood: "Post a better pic." Goldeneye are more often on large water bodies.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, to a drake mallard, in the family of pond or puddle ducks. Your developed pond areas have made some prime habitat for mallards and black ducks.

[Jeff]

They are definitely Mallards. They are there every day.

[Resonator]

Always good to have your ducks in a row. (Old saying).