Chilly in Kure - A Duck in Time Saves...

It's been really cool down here for this time of year but also extremely sunny which is what I had hoped for!! If the wind doesn't blow, I can still sit outside on the porch, watch the dolphins and read for awhile in only my sweatshirt!

I try to walk every day and love to vary the place. Today we went down and walked around a very small fresh water lake in Carolina Beach. I had seen Coots there before and wanted to see what was there today. It is a short walk but the sun was bright and the sky blue! This was a beautiful male mallard but I took the picture as I couldn't believe how orange his feet were!

This I believe is a Ruddy Duck -- it is one of those diving ducks and was rarely on top of the water.

There was a large flock of the American Coot which are so distinctive with their white beaks and black bodies.

I thought this grouping of three mallards was interesting. The one furthest away is obviously a regular old male mallard. The one in the middle according to the bird book is a variety of mallard caused by inbreeding. The one in the front with only the hind end showing is the Pekin Duck which is the domestic variety of the mallard! I didn't know that the common white domestic ducks were a variety of mallards!

While my old roommate was here, we ventured to downtown Wilmington for a walk but it was just too cold and windy earlier this week. You can see the brilliant blue sky though. The temps have stayed about the same but the winds have subsided now so walking is fine!