“Hi, I’m Troy McClure, and no, that isn’t a typo in the title! That duck on the right has her left eye open and is watching her mate! We’ll never know if he’s peeking back, but wouldn’t that be cute?”

The sun isn’t making a cold day much warmer in mid-November, and if you’re a critter out in the wild — even in the “wild” and yes, those are finger quotes here in Chicago — on a day like that, if you aren’t eating or taking care of the kids, you may as well hunker down and stay warm as best you can. Ducks are among the many birds that bond for life and this is a cute moment for these two. They may or may not agree, of course.

November 13, 2022. Nikon D850 (FX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm at 400mm, f/8, 1/45, ISO 200.