My daughter loves to toss leaves into water, ducks love to storm to thrown food, perfect.

The posse circles waiting for food.

Action!

I noticed not all the what-I-believed-to-be-Mallards were of identical coloring, some having white bibs and no white band around the neck. I consulted Cornell:

The Mallard is the ancestor of nearly all domestic duck breeds (everything except the Muscovy Duck). Many of the domestic breeds look like the wild birds, but usually are larger. They are variable in plumage, often lacking the white neck ring or having white on the chest. Feral domestic ducks breed with wild Mallards and produce a variety of forms that often show up with wild ducks, especially in city parks.

Birding tip: spot the white markings on a bird to ease recognition (courtesy IslandWood)

These four have the traditional plumage: green heads, simple white band around the neck for males and brownish all over with mottled streaking of buff, white, and dark brown for the female, the juvenile’s being lighter in color.

This guy has the green head but a large white bib with no thin white ring around the neck.

An example of a mature female, entranced with the camera, sporting the white bib.

Blue water, blue skies but far from home – Seattle is to the West.