Two Ducks on the Skokie Lagoons

It's the end of December and it feels like the beginning of spring: no snow and

 almost 50 degrees. I thought that ducks usually migrate during the

 winter-- we were taught in kindergarten that there were only five species 

of birds that stay around during winter (which didn't include ducks)-- but 

there're still a few meandering around the Skokie Lagoons.

I dropped by the dam on Willow road yesterday to get some 

landscape shots of the trees while there weren't

 any clouds and I happened to have my telephoto lens out when these two 

mallards were floating by, so I snapped a few picks and they took off and I 

snapped a few more, trying to use a panning technique. A higher aperture 

gave the ducks and the water a more detailed/vibrant tone. 

Winnetka

Taken in December 2011