Female Mallard Preening

Mallards are fairly common ducks even though they sport beautiful plumage. So the challenge for the photographer is to capture a unique perspective of these ducks in their natural setting. I was photographing several mallards rising from the water, as they so commonly do, and flapping their wings during preening. This photo struck me as unique since the mallard stood straight up, in an almost human fashion and flapped its wings symmetrically, while standing momentarily.