Mallard

Marta-Yes. I'm sure she was very on-edge or cautious having her newborn chicks by her side however, I stayed in my car and shot through the open window which tends to keep them calmer than if I were to approach them on foot. The wild, untamed ones anyway. Mallards are hunted and as such tend to be much more weary of humans than say Cormorants, Herons, Coots or other freshwater waterfowl or birds. The car becomes my blind (if you will) and few if any are shot from cars so it tends to keep them calmer. These were the images I took when I first spied her near the water's edge. After a minute or two she calmed down significantly but was also farther away with tall reeds and cattails between us. Good birding observation!!

The mom was a bit spooked :-) I can tell by her ruffled head feathers :-)