Saw three new duck species today!!

I bet a lot of people think if you've seen one duck you have seen them all. Dead wrong, not only are there ducks of surprisingly different colors out there, but some ducks don't look anything like what you might think of as the textbook duck (i.e., the mallard). On the Ballona Creek there are about 16 different species in the duck family alone. Of the three new ones I saw today, the Red Breasted Merganser is probably the most unusual, as it has a punk-rock style hair-do. I also saw a Lesser Scaup notable for its jet black head and bright orange eyes, The Red winged Teal may me slightly more common but it has a distinctive white stripe on its head. Don't get me started on the Surf Scoter with its lumpy looking red yellow and white beak and black feathers!

Anyway, I have a new found respect for the duck family!