Sam Fried Sam FriedSam Fried has seen and photographed almost all North American birds. Meet Sam Previous Answers

My best guess is that you saw two male ring-necked ducks. This species is fairly common and is one of the earliest migrating waterfowl species, frequently the first duck to show up once the ice goes off small ponds.

Pointy-headed, dark-backed and -breasted, with a broad white ring around the lower bill, a narrow white band at the base and a white “shoulder” stripe, the male ducks of this species are very distinctively marked. The females are medium brown, with not quite as pointy a head and also have a duller white band around the bill. Like many birds named by scientists examining dead specimens in the lab, ring-necked ducks are named for a rarely visible dark brown ring of feathers on their necks. They are a diving duck that goes completely underwater in search of its food, which consists mostly of aquatic plants and insects. Ring-necks' breeding range is quite broad, extending from Newfoundland, across Canada and the northern United States into Alaska. In winter, they can be found throughout the southern United States and into Mexico and the Caribbean.

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