Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna autumnalis (19Jul2015) & (01Jul2020)

I cannot think of a more cartoonish bird than a Black-bellied Whistling-duck.  My first exposure to them was in Houston, TX.  When I started birding I used to have to go to Houston quite a bit for work, and when I saw BBWDs in the city parks, I figured they were domestic birds, much like Mallards and barnyard geese.  I soon learned BBWDs do move around and are totally wild in Houston despite being found on suburban lawns and parks.

This summer we had a group of 3 BBWDs come to Twin Lakes in Sunset Beach, NC.  I was not satisfied with the looks I had from across the lake so I found the house where the birds were and knocked on the door.  The irony was that these people didn't even really know what the ducks were and did not think they were a big deal.  In fact they were looking at me like I was the anomaly!  My family was in the car waiting to go to the beach and the people in the house were looking at me funny so I managed some quick shots and only one of them came out decent.

 We shall meet again soon my orange billed friend and I will crush you like you deserve to be crushed.

Update: In July 2020, one showed up in Wilmington at the UNCW campus and allowed me to properly photograph him/her.