Today’s cold rain trapped me between overdue errands and a warm afternoon in bed with a book. After procrastinating most of the morning, I decided to hurry through my errands, which might get me home in time to spend a few hours with my book.

I didn’t intend to stop anywhere for photos, but packed my camera by mistake as I rushed to leave the house. A few hours later, when it became clear that my errand list was too long and the day too short, I decided to slow down and take advantage of my mistake. If I couldn’t get to my book, I could at least take a few photos.

As I splashed toward these cormorants, wishing for a thicker coat and waterproof shoes, a group of smallish ducks emerged from a hidden spot near the bank.

They were a new species for me, and I could hardly wait to get home and look them up. (Are they Hooded Mergansers?)

I’m adding this pond to my list of places to revisit, should we ever get another sunny day…