Lots of waterbirds migrate here in northeastern Colorado. When they can.

But this winter most of the water here is frozen. Josh’s Pond, a Broomfield Open Space just over the Boulder County line, is the rare exception, so the birds flock there.

I did too this week. On three sunny afternoons I watched and waited for more than six glorious hours taking more than 1,000 shots of these beautiful birds. Here are my favorites.

Three Male Ring-Neck Ducks Swim on a Sunny Afternoon

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A Female Merganser Seems to Have a Bad Hair Day

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A Muskrat Swims to Shore in the Last Light of Day

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Photography requires patience and persistence. If just three photos in more than six hours seems like a small return for the effort, please consider this quotation from one of the greatest photographers who ever lived. “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop,” Ansel Adams said. Of course, he had somewhat higher standards.