Different dabbling ducks in proper setting (no snow)
Young Gadwall duck couple, male left with white wing patch, female with orange stripe along the lower part of her bill, and female (juvenile?) in back. These three looked about the size of Mallards. According to Cornell’s www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gadwall/id, Gadwall (Anas strepera) often are seen in pairs, because “…they select their mates for the breeding season as early as late fall."
Knowledgeable birders could forego reading all of this. Non-birders might not want to, either. But I liked reading it. So much to know, so little....
Please note: If you want to be cool or erudite, Gadwall seems both singular and plural for these dabbling ducks.
“In a world where male ducks sport gleaming patches of green, red, or blue, the Gadwall’s understated elegance can make this common duck easy to overlook. Males are intricately patterned with gray, brown, and black; females resemble female Mallards, although with a thinner, darker bill. We don’t tend to think of ducks as pirates, but Gadwall often snatch food from diving ducks as they surface.
“Female Gadwall are easily overlooked as female Mallards, so look for the female Gadwall’s thinner bill with an orange stripe along the lower edge. Female Mallards have a thicker bill with orange blotches on the top. Gadwall have squarer heads than Mallards. Look for the white inner secondary feathers to rule out Mallard and other brown female ducks. In flight, Gadwall’s white belly readily separates them from female Mallards.”
Nikon D810, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8, 2x teleconverter (400mm)
1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800
manual exposure, tripod
Thanks for your fun comments on previous photo!
Different dabbling ducks in proper setting (no snow)
Young Gadwall duck couple, male left with white wing patch, female with orange stripe along the lower part of her bill, and female (juvenile?) in back. These three looked about the size of Mallards. According to Cornell’s www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gadwall/id, Gadwall (Anas strepera) often are seen in pairs, because “…they select their mates for the breeding season as early as late fall."
Knowledgeable birders could forego reading all of this. Non-birders might not want to, either. But I liked reading it. So much to know, so little....
Please note: If you want to be cool or erudite, Gadwall seems both singular and plural for these dabbling ducks.
“In a world where male ducks sport gleaming patches of green, red, or blue, the Gadwall’s understated elegance can make this common duck easy to overlook. Males are intricately patterned with gray, brown, and black; females resemble female Mallards, although with a thinner, darker bill. We don’t tend to think of ducks as pirates, but Gadwall often snatch food from diving ducks as they surface.
“Female Gadwall are easily overlooked as female Mallards, so look for the female Gadwall’s thinner bill with an orange stripe along the lower edge. Female Mallards have a thicker bill with orange blotches on the top. Gadwall have squarer heads than Mallards. Look for the white inner secondary feathers to rule out Mallard and other brown female ducks. In flight, Gadwall’s white belly readily separates them from female Mallards.”
Nikon D810, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8, 2x teleconverter (400mm)
1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800
manual exposure, tripod
Thanks for your fun comments on previous photo!