Wild Bird Wednesday #60
Mallards of the Botanical Gardens
Strangely, they all look the same. No distinctive marking showing the difference between male, female or juveniles. That is because Mallards, like other ducks, shed all their flight feathers at the end of
the breeding season and are flightless for 3–4 weeks. They are secretive during
this vulnerable time, and their body feathers molt into a concealing
brown “eclipse” plumage that can make them hard to identify. It is that time of year, Folks ... fall is upon us. My favorite season :)
If you look closely, you will see some colorful feathers growing on this little male ...
Have a Wonderful WBW!
19 comments:
A great series of photos - the plumage detail is really beautiful.
Great series!! Boom & gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
They are cute, wonderful shots of the Mallards!
Nice series showcasing a beautiful duck, molting or not!
And some gorgeous colour in the first shot too. Ducks always looks such happy birds (yes I know, my anthromorphism is showing).
And autumn is the BEST season...
What a great group of photos of these pretty ducks!
They are quite interesting birds. Love your shots.
Stunning photos - and I learned something new - thanks.
Nice ducks - I have a bit of a fond spot for Mallard!
I agree that people see purple where I see blue!
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
very attractive ducks; great photos
Hi Lovely series of shots. you can tell the difference by their beak colour.
Autumn is indeed quickly approaching. I am happy about that! You know it is my favourite; it makes for some good writing. The pictures are great; we love ducks.
Beautiful shots Andrea, and this looks like an awesome place to visit!
Thank you Margaret ... I think I knew that once upon a time and had forgotten (symptoms of being an old poop). Anyway, I feel like I learned something new from you and I appreciate that :)
Andrea
It is a wonderful place to visit, Jeanne, any time of the year. Next time you are in Chicago, I would be glad to take you there :)
Andrea
Andrea, what a great series of shots of the Mallard ducks. I did not know this about the color of the beak. Thank you for the info. I go to our local park as often as I can to watch the ducks at play there. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.
Beautiful shots! We get some Mallard/Black Duck hybrids which makes ID difficult at times.
Beautiful shots! I love watching the mallards. During winter they're almost the only birds I see.
Awe what sweethearts, got to love Mallards and those endearing personalities...great captures shared~
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