Along the quiet shoreline of Carburn Park, a drake mallard floats serenely on the water, its presence brought to life by a brilliant flash of color as sunlight catches its iridescent head. The rich emerald sheen glows like polished glass, shifting subtly between green and gold with every slight turn, as though the bird carries a fragment of sunlight woven into its feathers. Gentle ripples spread outward from its body, bending reflections of sky and branches into soft patterns that shimmer across the surface. The mallard’s posture is relaxed yet dignified, chest lifted and tail slightly raised, its bright yellow bill contrasting sharply against the jewel-toned crown. Around it, the stillness of the park wraps the scene in calm, the distant pathways and trees of Calgary fading into a quiet backdrop that lets the small drama of light and color take center stage. Every detail seems heightened in that moment—the delicate line of white at its neck, the smooth gray of its flanks, and the subtle curl of black tail feathers at the rear. The duck glides forward with effortless ease, as if carried by the hush of the afternoon itself. In that simple yet radiant instant, the drake becomes more than a common waterfowl; it becomes a living gem adrift on the pond, a reminder that even the most familiar corners of nature can reveal flashes of brilliance when touched by light.