Shollenberger Park: "That's no mallard!"

 Today was a perfect perfect day for a walk around Shollenberger Park.  The sun was shining, it was warm, and the sky was cloudless.  I wasn't too hopeful starting the walk, despite the weather, because much of the wetlands are not wet due to the drought.

Once we got to the other side of the park, where it edges the river, things started looking different.

There wasn't a whole lot of water (except for the river and the very center of the park) but what water there was and last week's rain produced an abundance of wildflowers.

And on the mudflats and shores, there were birds. 

American Avocet

Black-necked Stilt

Canada goose

When I first took the photo (from a good distance) I assumed these were two females of different species (I'd seen Mallards and Northern Shovelers in the area) but now I'm pretty sure we're looking at a male and female Gadwall. 

I had at first, and from a distance, misidentified this bird as a mallard. Once I saw the picture, I realized I was wrong. The Northern Shoveler is locally common, but I'd never seen one before today. 

Mallards

Willet

Swan.  I swear, year after year the pair of swans in the park see me coming, and as soon as I get in camera range, they've got their heads down in their wings. I'll spend the rest of the season trying to get a good photo of them.

Redwing blackbird. Hard to NOT get a good photo of these birds!

Of course there were other birds as well, plover and gulls, and the one bird I was hoping to see but wasn't able to get a photo of:  a tree swallow.  

All in all it turned out to be a really nice day, although we stayed out long enough for me to get a little too much sun.  I'm getting a little more familiar with the local birds, however, and that's something.  If any birders are reading this, and I've misidentified any bird, please let me know in the comments!