Goosanders takeoff

With the ice cover of the millpond shrinking daily and more open water available, I've been looking for these birds to arrive. This afternoon, a rainy, then mixed-with-snow, day, the Goosanders, a handsome diving duck also known as a Common Merganser, arrived to show off their mating finery. The males, which are mostly white with contrasting dark heads, are unmistakeable and really stand out in the water. The females, which, as per usual, are more subtle in plumage, can be harder to spot, particularly when they're close to shore and merge with the vegetation. Goosanders are very skittish, and typically flee when I approach for a close-up, or, well, closer-up. I'm a good hundred feet away, and the distance is about as much as my 55-200mm telephoto can handle. Even then, the picture's not tack sharp. So it goes. At least I got the shot: documentation of a species that might be here today but gone tomorrow. Literally.