Dr. H. Curtis Merrick

Hundreds of green-winged teal fill the sky above the 6,000-acre North River Wetlands Preserve earlier this month. About 1,000 of the small dabbling ducks have been observed at the preserve in recent weeks, said birder John Fussell of Morehead City, who counted about 270 in the above image and estimated about 800 at the site that morning. Flocks of green-wing teal can be dazzling with their “rapid twisting and turning in unison,” according to Audubon’s Guide to North American Birds. Photo: Dr. H. Curtis Merrick