Photograph and text by Joey Melvin
From the Holiday 2019 issue

Ring-necked ducks are typically found in large flocks, feasting on vegetation in Delaware’s freshwater ponds. A diving species, they are bountiful but bashful, so it was unusual when this pair split from the floating raft of ducks as I lay on the cold, snow-covered forest floor behind a cedar tree. I anxiously awaited the moment that they swam into my viewfinder and provided an opportunity for this seasonal image.