On a serene morning at Bridlewood Pond in Calgary, a female mottled duck rises slowly from the still water, her brown-speckled feathers glinting with dew and soft morning light. She pauses for a moment, floating gracefully among the gentle ripples, before arching her back and stretching her wings to their full span. The motion is both powerful and delicate, revealing flashes of deeper bronze and subtle green along the edges of her plumage, colors that are easy to miss until she unfurls them completely. Each wingbeat sends tiny droplets cascading back into the pond, sparkling like scattered gems in the sunlight. The surrounding landscape is calm: the reflections of bare trees and early spring reeds shimmer on the water’s surface, creating a quiet, almost painterly backdrop for her display. She tilts her head, preening briefly, and then stretches again, her movements a blend of grace, strength, and alertness, a ritual of both comfort and readiness. A few other waterfowl paddle nearby, but she remains the focus, a study in natural elegance and resilience. The soft sounds of the pond—gentle lapping water, distant bird calls, and the occasional rustle of wind through branches—frame the moment, highlighting the quiet beauty of urban wildlife thriving in Calgary’s green spaces. Watching her stretch, it is impossible not to admire the intricate details of her feathers, the poise of her body, and the sense of freedom captured in this fleeting yet intimate moment on Bridlewood Pond.