Ring-necked Duck

Ring-necked Duck. Lake Hodges, California. February 2, 2014. Greg Gillson.

A big advantage of bird photography in San Diego versus Portland is that mornings are usually sunny! Even sunny days in Portland often start with low clouds. Without the sun the purple head sheen of Ring-necked Duck does not show up. The ring on the neck? Well that is a field mark usually only seen by hunters with a bird in the hand. I do have one photo that shows it well, though.