Wood Ducks on the Elbow River

These two beautiful Wood Ducks were lying in the open water on the far side of the Elbow River when I was on a walk with friends from Stanley Park to Erlton St. on Monday, 18 March 2013. A third one was lying just a few feet away. Always a treat to see one of these spectacular ducks. Though the female is not as colourful - you can't see her colour from my photo - she, too, is a beautiful bird.

The temperature on our walk was -10C to -1C. Much of the Elbow River, which was open most of the winter, was now frozen after a bad snowstorm the weekend before our walk. These ducks found an area of open water.