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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: Mallard

Orange legs

22 Thursday Dec 2022

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birds with orange legs, birdwatching, British birds, Goosander, Mallard, Redshank, Turnstone

As a follow up to yesterday’s post about our local Redshanks, I thought I’d write about those legs, which, to my eye, are orange not red. A few months ago, I wondered aloud on social media why so many birds have such bright orange legs and was informed that, on a recent episode of the BBC’s Winterwatch television programme (I don’t have a tv so didn’t see it), it had been suggested that orange-coloured legs ‘are effective in disturbing benthic creatures when feeding/stirring the sediment’.

221222 orange legs (1)

Another idea suggested on the Canadian Science.ca website is that ‘bright orange feet may reveal that the male is good at foraging (carotene comes in the diet)’, though the writer of that article also acknowledged that there may be several other factors at play, and that scientists don’t actually know the answer to the fascinating ‘why orange feet?’ question. So, if you have your own theories, or verified scientific knowledge, please do share in the comments.

221222 orange legs (2)

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The Gadwall that thinks she’s a Mallard

28 Thursday Jul 2022

Posted by sconzani in birds

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve, comparison between Gadwall and Mallard, Gadwall, Mallard

It’s quite unusual for Gadwall to spend time at Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve and for them to be so confiding and so consistently in the company of Mallards rather than their own kind, so this little beauty may well be the same bird that visited the reserve back in March 2021.

220728 gadwall

Yesterday, she was puddling about right next to the boardwalk, which gave me the perfect opportunity to take some comparison shots with a female Mallard: Gadwall images on the left, Mallard on the right. Female ducks can be tricky to tell apart but you can see here that the differences in their body shapes are quite distinctive.

220728 gadwall mallard

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Darling ducklings

25 Monday Apr 2022

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, ducklings, Mallard, Mallard ducklings

Though Mallard ducklings were seen by other birders as early as the end of February, these little beauties were my first of the year. Eight little bundles of fluff and their mother were tucking in to a soggy slice of bread thrown to them by some boat owners in a local marina. Awwwwwww!

220425 ducklings

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Napping

29 Thursday Jul 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, duckling, Mallard, Mallard ducklings

We all need a little cuteness from time to time, so I hope you enjoy this photo, taken recently at Forest Farm Nature Reserve, of Mrs Mallard and her three ducklings snoozing on a log on the Glamorgan Canal.

210729 mallard family

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343/366 Madame Mallard

08 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, winter

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, female duck, female mallard, Mallard

Female ducks, of various species – in this case Mallard, are often under-appreciated. But, with a little time and some close observation, I think we can all learn to appreciate the sublime subtly of their plumage, the tonal colour variations and the intricacy of their delicate patterning.

201208 female mallard

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129/366 Along the Ely

08 Friday May 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, fish, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, British birds, British fish, duckling, Ely embankment, Grey wagtail, Mallard, Thick-lipped grey mullet, wagtail fledglings

Yesterday’s walk along the Ely river embankment was a mix of treats and unexpectedness. The first unexpected treat was the large number of both Sand and House martins flying low along the embankment: the air around me was alive with their close flypasts and their noisy chirruping. I’ve no photos of them – I was too intent on enjoying their proximity.

200508 grey wagtail (1)

200508 grey wagtail (2)
200508 grey wagtail (3)

Next up was the sight of a family of Grey wagtails, two adults and their three offspring, flitting about amongst the stones at the water’s edge.

200508 thick-lipped grey mullet (1)

200508 thick-lipped grey mullet (2)

The Grey wagtail fledgling helps to show the size of the fish

While watching the wagtails, I noticed the water churning at various points along the river’s edge. It was being caused by large fish, feeding on the weed that’s growing on the stones just under the water. Thanks to one of my Twitter pals, Tate, I later learned they were Thick-lipped grey mullet, which can grow ‘to huge sizes’ and which are ‘mostly a saltwater fish but can tolerate fresh water quite far up rivers’.

200508 duckling (2)

After unexpectedly bumping in to a birding friend and enjoying a chat to a real live person (a rare treat in these days of lockdown), my final wild treat was seeing these two Mallard ducklings, meandering along the river with their mother.

200508 duckling (1)

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121/366 Ma and her bairns

30 Thursday Apr 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, spring

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, duckling, Mallard, Mallard ducklings

200430 mallard ducklings

Some days we all need a dose of cuteness!

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318/365 Good weather for ducks?

14 Thursday Nov 2019

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, weather

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, English idioms, Mallard, rain, reflections in water, wet weather

I always thought the expression ‘It’s good weather for ducks’ referred to wet weather: persistent rain leading to the formation of large pools of water that a duck might enjoy swimming in. Turns out I may have been wrong, and it may well have come from comments by the shooters of waterfowl, who find wet weather better for their hunting.

191114 mallard (1)

I certainly hope this gorgeous female Mallard doesn’t meet that fate. How could anyone shoot such a beautiful bottom … er, creature?

191114 mallard (2)

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106/365 Snoozing

16 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Ely embankment, female duck, female mallard, Mallard, sleeping duck

190416 female mallard

Some days, when it’s grey and misty and still a bit damp from the morning’s rain, the best thing to do is tuck your head under your wing and snooze the afternoon away – at least that seems to have been the opinion of this female Mallard on the Ely embankment today.

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89/365 A bunch of fluffy ducks

30 Saturday Mar 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

baby birds, birding, birdwatching, British birds, duckling, ducks, Mallard, Mallard duckling

These are the first baby birds I’ve seen this year – five little bundles of fluffy Mallard ducklings.

190330 mallard ducklings (4)

190330 mallard ducklings (7)
190330 mallard ducklings (6)
190330 mallard ducklings (5)
190330 mallard ducklings (8)

190330 mallard ducklings (2)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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