Mallards in a cypress swamp, Calcasieu River, Louisiana, USA

© Tim Fitzharris/Minden Pictures

Mallards in a cypress swamp, Calcasieu River, Louisiana, USA

From spooky mood lighting to mist and shadows, this cypress swamp in the US state of Louisiana certainly knows how to do Halloween right. It’s part of the Calcasieu River, which meanders 200 miles through south-west Louisiana as it makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico. Look closely at this pic and you’ll spot a pair of mallards on their evening swim, seemingly unbothered by a creepy vibe. Or perhaps as the saying goes, they’re calm on the surface, but paddling frantically underneath.