The unidentified duck in the photograph below takes off. Upon a clue from Bill Lattrell who loves wild places (see his Wild Ramblings blog), the duck may be a Redhead (Aythya americana). Field marks from Peterson’s include the male that is gray with a black chest and round red-brown head; the bill blue with black tip. Both sexes have gray wing-stripes. I have one additional photograph of the duck as it took off from the pond.
Tentatively a Redhead duck in takeoff from pond (February 2011).
The other aspect that may be a factor in identifying the duck as Redhead is that they patter along the surface while getting underway. From the photograph above, you can see the traces of a patter? It all happened so fast when the duck took flight that I could only snap two pictures. (There is a camera feature to take rapid sequential shots that I should turned on.) The other photograph is in a previous post yesterday. It is the same duck.
In any case, if any of you have an opinion about the duck above, please comment or write me at matthewsranch@msn.com. Duck feedback anyone?
Sage to Meadow ~ Jack Matthews 
Good shot! Learn so much from your posts!
Thanks, Cirrelda. I learn a lot from getting into Peterson’s field guide.
Sadly, I can’t identify the duck. But I have to admit that when I saw your title, my first thought was, “How does the duck get the typewriter in the air?”
Thank you, Laura. I did not see the double entendre until I read your comment. Laughing. I don’t think we are going to be able to say with 100% clarity what kind of duck it is.
Pingback: Widgeon flying | Sage to Meadow
Jack, I just commented on the first photo before I’d seen this. Still not convinced of its identity. I am not sure that the bill is blue, as it appears in this photo–could it be the sun reflecting off it that makes it appear light in color? There is no indication of a blue or light colored bill in the first photo. Just sayin’….
There is no question that bird identification, even with decent photos, is one of the most frustrating things ever!
It is frustrating and terribly difficult to identify. I really want to become more adept in duck lore and identification. I find them fascinating.