Pintails last light, Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina

There is something about pintails in flight.  They're fast and sleek, appear more streamlined than most ducks, and seem to glide effortlessly through the air.  In late winter they're courting and flights are exceptionally brilliant.  It is not uncommon to see the males racing across the sky trying to impress a female.  Most ducks perform some sort of courtship flight, but I find the flight of pintails to be the most brilliant of all.