American Wigeon male, resting on a log

Brief update on the massive Fort McMurray wildfire: "The wildfire near Fort McMurray continues to grow northeast of the city and could double in size by Saturday (i.e. today, 7 May 2016) afternoon, according to officials."

Today, this is my main photo (i.e. the very last one to be posted). Yet again, some people have been recently seeing either my second or third photo as my main one. This morning, I uploaded each photo separately, so hopefully, my three photos will be seen by other people in the order in which I posted and in the order that I see them.

Three afternoons ago, on 4 May 2016, I had a volunteer shift and then thought I might call in at the Reader Rock Garden. Changed my mind when I discovered that new road construction was taking place at the very first corner I was going to take, so I couldn't turn right. Instead, I called in at Fish Creek Park to check on the Great Horned Owls.

I so rarely get photos of American Wigeons, as when I do see one, it is almost always way off in the distance. On this day, however, I was lucky enough to see a pair of them resting on a log, as well as a pair of Wood Ducks that were swimming nearby, all close enough to photograph. You can see just a tiny bit of iridescent green patch on this male's head, behind the eye.

"A common and increasingly abundant duck, the American Wigeon breeds in northwestern North America and is found throughout the rest of the continent in migration and in winter. Its small bill and the male's white forehead, as well as certain aspects of nesting and feeding behavior, distinguish this species from other dabbling ducks." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Wigeon/id