Northern Shoveler

It's been fun having a few days off - stayed at the pond for an hour just watching the ducks and swans. Here is another duck I think is special, the Northern Shoveler. The spatulate bill is distinctive.

"Northern Shovelers feed by dabbling for plant food, often by swinging its bill from side to side and using the bill to strain food from the water. They use their highly specialized bill (from which their name is derived) to forage for aquatic invertebrates – a carnivorous diet. Their wide-flat bill is equipped with well-developed lamellae – small, comb-like structures on the edge of the bill that act like sieves, allowing the birds to skim crustaceans and plankton from the water's surface. "

Glad I caught this one in mid-stretch.

Hope you are all relaxed and that your Monday was as enjoyable as mine.