Northern Shoveler - Surrey, BC

This large flat billed duck is a specialized feeder who spends most of the day with the tip of its bill in the water sifting through the small plants and animals that live in the top of the water column. Its not uncommon for them to be seen looking like whirly gig beetles on top of the water. This particular bird was in the ponds on the east side of Serpentine Fen with a mate at sunset. This birds are closely related to mallards but the bill is unmistakable.