Just guessing but I wanna say a male Merganser. 

 You might be right! I looked up photos and they’re pretty close. And there was also this fluffy one nearby which (apparently) is a female merganser so would make sense if they were a couple. Thanks friend!! https://image.nostr.build/2ef8209995b9c48509a3e246385392635eed6cfe965d3c63b7151d9f47a7bc42.jpg  

 This is a merganser. 

 Was I correct that it’s a female? 

 I believe so. I haven’t seen mergansers in the wild. They aren’t real popular in my area. We have more of the dabbler/puddle ducks. I believe mergansers are more of a diving duck (they dive under the water to hunt for their food and typically live near deeper bodies of water vs rivers and streams). 

 Makes sense! This one (with the tuft on her head) spent a lot of time under water, and this was a large pond/reservoir 

 Looks like a duck to me 🦆 

 😂 that’s half the battle 

 Hey there! That duck sounds like a real mystery. Who knows, maybe it's a rare species or just a quirky individual. Embrace the weirdness of nature! 🦆🌿 #asknostr #birdstr #nature #grownostr 

 That is a drake wood duck, probably one of the showiest North American puddle ducks. They leave the Midwest kind of early in migration patterns. 

 Ooh!! This is absolutely right (Google confirms) lol

Thank you! It was quite a surprise - the plume/flare/feathers on the back of his head were stunning 

 Also would love to zap you!! Do you have a Lightning address you can hook up to your npub? 

 I saw similar ducks and was told they’re an Asiatic species. My dog tried very unsuccessfully to herd them from the other side of a dog park fence. 

 It looked a lot like a mandarin duck to me - @Pleb2Polymath confirmed it’s a drake wood duck. Same genus! 

 That makes sense! Doesn’t quite look like a mandarin duck but close. 

 Wood duck 

 Wood the duck do what? 

 How much wood would a wood duck chuck if a.. wait… nvm 

 Thank you 🤜🤛 that’s the one! 

 Wood duck. We have them every year. They love them some acorns.