Ducklings in a Reflected World

I was interested in this mother mallard and her young family when I took this photo, but when I saw it on-screen I was intrigued by the reflections I hadn't noticed at the time. Below, as they swim away from the camera, the textures in the calm water are really interesting (click on either photo to see it larger). These photos were taken last evening at the Superior Drive pond.

Below is a crop of the same photo. See how small the ducklings still are compared to their mother, but then look at how mature their heads look -- the one right behind her is easiest to see. These young birds still have quite a bit of growing to do before the males start getting their mature coloring -- the ones I see along the river seem almost as big as the adult females before their coloring starts to clearly separate the sexes.