We spent some time down by the Grand River this evening watching a couple of families of mallards. The drakes are in eclipse right now; the hens were being watchful but not hovering too closely; from the looks of the babies (their size and their mix of feather styles) I'd guess they must be getting ready to fledge soon. They were exploring the shallows and preening themselves a lot, and a couple of them came right up to the step our feet were on in the course of their little adventures!
