Halfway Between the Rim and the River

On the cusp of spring, went hiking yesterday with a neighbor and a friend. We went on the Vista Verde Trail, which follows a bench formed by a landslide block inside the Rio Grande Gorge,
about halfway between the mesa top and the river. Canyon wrens were singing.

The real purpose was to get out, out, out of town, and that we did.

The trail just ends, spang in the middle of the canyon, and there you are with the sound of the river far below, and the level line of the Taos Plateau above. We sat at the end of the trail, and passed the binoculars back and forth, and enjoyed the sun of a perfect blue-sky day. There were ducks down there on the river, little specks bobbing around and diving; white underneath, white patch on their heads? Maybe? Too far away to identify. Maybe buffleheads, but buffleheads are so little: how could we see them from so far away???