May 30, 2014 - Duck Musings

Then again, it might be best if I were to come back in my next life as a duck.  This fine fellow gleams blue at the head, but look at the feathers on his back!  They almost look like an intricate polished wood pattern.  Is he unusual?  He is in my book.  He is a mallard, and his head is supposed to be green and not blue.  If you check into bird literature, you will be told that it is just iridescent feathers that seem to be blue but are really green.  If you read blogs of birdwatchers, however, you will hear a different story.  Some have captured pictures of male mallards side by side, one with a green head, the other with a blue.  Like me, they believe it is a true blue color and not a trick of the light.  There were plenty of other males in this pond, but this was the only blue-headed male.  What a fine specimen he was!  Yes, he is a true blue-headed male mallard duck, uncommon but not impossible.  Like me.