The waterfowl migration through Ohio brings opportunities to see an astounding variety of ducks and geese. The somewhat muted but perfectly matched colors of both male and female Northern Pintail Ducks stand out against the dreary grey Ohio sky. Their markings are so crisp they look like painted duck sculptures.

At one of the ponds in the Big Island Wildlife Area (Central Ohio) we had never before explored, we were greeted with perhaps 40 pintails. As some of them flew out, a few small groups like this one flew in formation, perfectly synchronized. Before long, there was a huge group of pintails circling the marsh and whistling their strange little tune; they eventually went off in search of another pond deeper into the woods.