Subject: Ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis

Location: Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado

Stock Number: 04-1917 (above) and 04-1924 (below)

Comments: Above, the male is showing off his prowess at blowing bubbles. He is doing this by expelling the air trapped amidst his breast plumage.

Quite a contest! Head bobbing, bubble blowing, and tail stiffening. And the winner is...

Below: The female at last made her choice known, and here the stiff-tailed male leads his mate away. Soon they will be contructing their floating nest.

The female clearly did not appreciate my presence on the bank, but Ruddy ducks rarely fly, and she followed the male until they were out of sight in the reedy waterways of Alamosa.