In early June 2006, soon after a tropical storm blew through the middle Atlantic states from the south, several Black-bellied Ducks were sighted in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. It was never determined that the storm brought the ducks northward and may be just a coincidence. The duck pictured below was found on a lake in the middle of a shopping mall in Gaithersburg, MD. Sighting accepted by the
Maryland Ornithological Society, 03/04/2008, Report# MD/2006-042
.
I photographed this beautiful bird one dreary, rainy morning a few weeks after the initial sighting. It was very cooperative and posed as if it knew it was very special to the area. A common duck in Southern Texas, they like ponds and fresh water marshes and frequently can be seen perched in trees.