A mother mallard leads her ducklings across a pond during sunrise at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado.

Photo by Kort Duce A mother mallard leads her ducklings across a pond during sunrise at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. In this horizontal color photograph, a female mallard swims away from the camera in the upper-left quadrant of the frame, her neck and head turned to the left. Seven ducklings follow closely behind their mother as they move across the pond. The entire scene is bathed in a warm yellowish-red glow from wildfire smoke, while gentle ripples trail behind the mother as her ducklings quickly follow. A beautiful family portrait of a mother mallard caring for her ducklings in the wetland habitat so vital to their survival.