Mandarin Duck
Mandarin Duck / aix galericulata. Straws Bridge, Derbyshire. 29/04/20.
There have been a pair of Mandarin ducks appearing on and off at a local lake since April 10th. At first they were inseparable and on a few occasions I saw them displaying, albeit rather half-heartedly! Later in the month only the male could be seen so I assumed the female was holed up on a nest somewhere locally. Maybe that was the case - but then I noticed, a few days before making this image, that he was devoting all his time and energy on a female Mallard. He followed her about, seeing other birds off with aggressive chases and indulging in yet more displaying.
I'm left wondering :-
- Is he transferring attention to another bird because his mate deserted/died ?
- Is he playing away from home and testing out a bit of polygamy ?
- Is he an immature bird and just very confused ?
All ideas welcomed :-)
BEST VIEWED LARGE.
Mandarin Duck
Mandarin Duck / aix galericulata. Straws Bridge, Derbyshire. 29/04/20.
There have been a pair of Mandarin ducks appearing on and off at a local lake since April 10th. At first they were inseparable and on a few occasions I saw them displaying, albeit rather half-heartedly! Later in the month only the male could be seen so I assumed the female was holed up on a nest somewhere locally. Maybe that was the case - but then I noticed, a few days before making this image, that he was devoting all his time and energy on a female Mallard. He followed her about, seeing other birds off with aggressive chases and indulging in yet more displaying.
I'm left wondering :-
- Is he transferring attention to another bird because his mate deserted/died ?
- Is he playing away from home and testing out a bit of polygamy ?
- Is he an immature bird and just very confused ?
All ideas welcomed :-)
BEST VIEWED LARGE.