Just a simple urban Ring-necked Duck hen photo this morning. I photographed this female diving duck at my local pond exactly five years ago today.

Urban Ring-necked Duck hen, Salt Lake County, UtahUrban Ring-necked Duck hen – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

As often as I see Ring-necked Ducks during the fall and winter I really don’t have that many photos of them in my archives or galleries. Away from urban areas I have found them to be rather skittish which may be part of the reason why I have fewer images of them than I would like to have.

With their mostly black and white plumage, drake Ring-necked Ducks are flashier than the hens are. I enjoy the more subtle beauty of the mostly brown hens.

This hen Ring-necked Duck was very cooperative and I took quite a few images of her when she swam in close to where I sat in a mobile blind. As I recall it was quite chilly that bright winter afternoon and I needed gloves on to keep my fingers from getting numb.

This winter I have seen both male and female Ring-necked Ducks at my neighborhood pond. They have stayed out in the middle of the pond where I can’t get the frame filling images of them that I would like to have.

I hope that I will be able to take a few more images of this diving duck species before they leave and head to their breeding grounds. Whether I do or not primarily depends on if the sun is shining instead of heavy dark clouds over the valley. It has been a fairly gray winter here in northern Utah, much grayer than usual.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Ring-necked Duck photos plus facts and information about this species.