The Flickr Pondmonkey Image Generatr

"American Coot is much more common in western North America than it is in the east, and in winter it forms dense wintering groups, even in small ponds such as those in golf courses. During the breeding season American Coot occupies marshes with a mix of open water as well as dense emergent vegetation. The nest is placed in a vegetated area, even a rather small one, and foraging takes place in the more open areas of the marsh. American Coot is an adept diver and feeds on aquatic matter from the marsh bottom. American Coot is migratory, with northernmost populations retreating considerably while southern ones are reinforced by birds from the north. All migration takes place at night, American Coot seldom is seen in flight; in flight, it shows a bold whitish trailing edge on the secondaries."
neotropical.birds.cornell.edu

Green Heron takes a break from hunting to preen each feather. Got to look good if you want to impress the pond frogs..

"...the mallard is thought to be the most abundant and wide-ranging duck on Earth. Mallards prefer calm, shallow sanctuaries, but can be found in almost any body of freshwater across Asia, Europe, and North America. They're also found in saltwater and brackish water and are commonly found in wetlands." natgeo

"There is a bird available that possesses virtually every quality one could ask of such fowl. It is small (and thus easily kept in a relatively small area), it is quiet (its array of soft whistles and other noises is neither loud nor unpleasant to the ear), and it is one of the most beautiful and ornamental birds in the entire world. You want more? O.K., how about that it is fairly easy to obtain, relatively inexpensive, can be raised on feed products commonly available, and it requires no federal or state license to keep it.
I am speaking, of course, of the Mandarin Duck. A close relative of our North American Wood Duck, (they are the only two members of the genus Aix, the Mandarin being Aix galericulata and the Wood Duck being Aix sponsa. The Wood Duck is exclusively native to North America while the Mandarin is native to China, Japan, and Russia, where relatively small wild populations survive to the present day under government protection. "acornhollowbantums.

This scene was once common in many small towns in Oregon. Notice the workers balancing on the logs, tasked with preventing the free-floating logs from jamming. Piloting through these mazes on unstable craft was hazardous, as the logs could roll easily. After the 1970s, the wood products industry declined, and these mills vanished one by one. The wigwam burner (far right) was a familiar sight in small towns along the Southern Pacific Railway. However, sparks from this burner ignited neighboring blocks during a strong wind storm in the fall of 1962, sweeping through warehouses and homes. This community-wide emergency was a significant challenge for the local volunteer fire department. From the opposite side of town, I vividly remember seeing massive volumes of smoke and burning debris floating over rooftops. The repeated siren calls summoned volunteers, leaving me wondering if the fire might engulf the entire town.