Mandarin Duck Pair

A group of us took a tour of Potsdam and Sans Souci today, and it was fantastically beautiful. Our tour guide, who will also be my art history teacher in a few weeks, stopped us on a bridge over a canal to explain something to us and I noticed some commotion in the water below..

According to wikipedia, "Mandarins may form small flocks in winter, but rarely associate with other ducks." This lack of social duck interaction may explain why this beautiful duck and drake were not getting along very well with a pair of Mallards swimming in the canal nearby. I was lucky enough to get this shot of the drake displaying his fantastic plumage. Quite honestly, I think he looks more like a masterpiece painting than a bird.

And I really, really want to live at Sans Souci. It's probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been... I'm sure I'll go back many more times once the weather finally decides to be consistently nice!

Also, I've backblipped for yesterday:
Fathers of Socialism