If you notice, there is a Clapper Rail in the background of this image. He just appeared and disappeared like a ghost of the Marsh. I wasn't looking for him, and I saw him for the first time in the photo. This wasn't the best photo of the duck, but I really liked how these two images go together. The next photo is of the Clapper after I swung my scope over to it... He he
The Mottled Duck is similar to a female Mallard, but if you look there is no white on the underbelly and in this image you can see that there is also no white around the blue on the wing (there is white around it on a Mallard), also you can see the black spot on the tip of the gape; that gives the ID away. This is a female Mottled, the males have very bright yellow bills.
