Northern Pintail Ducks (Anas acuta)

These very neat looking ducks are Northern Pintails (Anas acuta), newly arrived from the north where they spend their summers. Like our ubiquitous Mallards, they are dabbling ducks, which means they prefer the shallows so they can root around (dabble) on the bottom for the food they like. It also makes them popular with me since they hang out fairly close to the shore unlike diving ducks who prefer deeper water and are consequently more difficult to photograph.