As much as I adore birds and watch them every chance I get, my identification skills are lacking. That’s why I especially appreciate whenever I spot the fanciest duck seen on the water around here. With markings like these, it’s easy to proclaim, “That’s a Harlequin Duck!”

Olympic Discovery Trail. November 18, 2025

While you can’t tell from this angle, Mr. Handsome was tucked up next to the bank and hard to see. I only noticed him while moving around in order to photograph a perching gull through a tangle of branches. I immediately shifted my focus.

Hello, beautiful! I’m in love.