This is a pair of redheads (a type of duck) seen during last weekend's Horicon Marsh Bird Festival. Horicon Marsh is over 33,000 acres in size and at first glance it may appear to be managed for Canada geese and muskrats, but redheads are one of the main targets for optimizing habitat.

If you are not familiar with any other duck but mallards, you should really get to know the redhead. Rather than the usual green head of male mallards, they have a gorgeous rusty red head. And they don't quack...they kind of sound like crows that have swallowed helium--what's not to love?

Check out the above photo, that is some serious redhead flirting going on--that kind of "my head is higher than your head" posture. Don't worry if you are reading this at work, that's not the hardcore flirting. For that they completely throw their heads back.

Here's an example of a couple of male redheads competing for the attention of a female. I love this look of who can raise their head the highest in the above photo. For some reason, it reminds me of Kanye West.

But then things can get heated between 2 males. Note how the female is observing the fight.

The redhead with 2 backs! (How many times am I going to make that joke this week?). Two males duking it out.

Oh no, redhead body slam! Again, note how the female is watching with a discernible eye.

Oh no, redhead chase!

Uh oh, is that a redhead goose? Is that allowed?

Oh man, that is a total redhead goosing.

All part of the mating shenanigans you can see at Horicon Marsh!

These are some redheads bathing and splashing against the sunset at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas, TX. I took this particular photo through my spotting scope. The redheads were not at the best sun angle, but with the splashing, I thought it was an arty shot.

It was a huge flock of birds. At first glance I would have guessed 1500, but in the scope, the redheads just kept going. We estimated that there were close to 4000 redheads were in this raft. I half wondered if any of these birds had been counted on our aerial waterfowl surveys on the Upper Mississippi River.

Suddenly, the flock of redheads took off.

Something must have spooked them. There are warning signs about alligators around the boardwalk, so my guess is that an alligator went for a duck.

One of the benefits of being one for 4000 is that you are less likely to be the one nailed by a gator.

Once the flock what in the air, you could really get a sense of the size and agree that yeah, there must be close to 4000 birds there.

I couldn't help but notice other species mixed in with the flock and making mental notes. In the above photo there are a couple of scaup mixed in--can you pick them out? I still crack up that even though I was on vacation from my waterfowl surveys, I'm still attracted to ducks in large numbers.