A Mallard Morning

There's nothing like walking through the woods with your puppies on a crisp morning just as the sun creeps into your hollow, 

the woods around you alive with birdsong announcing Spring's imminent arrival, 

giving thanks for the glorious morning just as it is 

and then

 having it get even better...

I was fiddling with my glove when this Mallard couple first flew over.

They took me by surprise and it was a few seconds before I remembered I had my camera, worked my glove back on and snapped the shot above.

I was sighing, sure the photo would be a blur but grateful for the mere sight of them.

(It turned out much better than I expected!)

Then, guess what?

They came back, making a couple of wide circles before finally disappearing.

Alas, all I had with me was my 50mm lens, not my 70-300, 

so I've cropped these quite a lot and the resolution is pretty bad. 

This is how far they really were away from me.

I hope they were scoping out the neighborhood and found a place they like!

Linking with 

and

Skywatch Friday