A muted Swan doesn't seem to be bothered by being surrounded in algae.

Please, no invitations to award/forced comment groups or to those with large/animated comment codes.

Elegant, slender duck with long neck and tail. Males have a chocolate brown head with a white slash coming up the neck, white breast, and mostly gray body. Females are patterned light brown. Forages in wetlands and in fields on agricultural waste grains. (eBird)

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As elusive as the male pintail has been over the years, the female has been almost invisible. This time, I got a lovely look at her with her elegantly shaped head and softer colours. Hopefully the pintail jinx is now broken and I will see more in the future.

Farran Park, Ingleside, Ontario, Canada. October 2024.

Eastern Ontario Birding

Aix galericulata (M)

I saw my first ever male Smew (1st photo in comment section) at the Alaska Sea Life Center and found out that it is a vagrant visitor to North America from Eurasia. It took me a bit to recognize its mate, the hen pictured above. They are quite different in terms of markings. The tell was when they'd swim together.

Taken 8 August 2018 at Alaska Sea Life Center, Seward, Alaska

(Branta canadensis)

753

Henry is a very friendly Moscovy Duck. Photo Taken Golden Acre Park Bramhope Leeds

This North American vagrant has been touring Glasgow staying a few days at each pond. On my third trip to Glasgow I managed to catch up with it at Maxwell Park - a tiny duckpond. What a fabulous bird

(Aythya fuligula)

Malmö

Sweden

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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.

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Some of the naturalised Greylag population which seems to be increasing a lot in Scotland

(Merganetta armata)

Cosanga

Ecuador

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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.

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Le Teich - Gironde - France

Nearly in full plumage - taken in September

Now this lovely lady has an extremely well-marked face, almost towards the markings on a Pacific Black Duck - found on the other side of the world so an unlikely parent. However Mallards are part of an almost global superspecies ecompassing the American Black Duck, Mexican Duck, Hawaiian Duck and the Spot-billed Duck complex which includes the Pacific Black Duck so the markings here probably are more like the ancestral form. However, given the propensity of male ducks to mate with just about anything, the possibility of some cross-mating with captive wildfowl cannot be ruled out.

(Branta canadensis)

A mixed flock of naturalised Greylag and non-native Canada Geese on the stubble this morning

Tadorne de Belon - Common Shelduck

(Merci Corinne)

Merci beaucoup à tous pour votre gentil commentaire et vos favoris très appréciés - bien cordialement ! au plaisir !

Thank you very much to all for your kind comment and your very appreciated favorites - well cordially - au plaisir -

Herzlichen Dank an alle für Ihren freundlichen Kommentar und Ihre beliebten Favoriten - herzlich! zum Vergnügen !

(Cygnus olor)

Our local North America visitor yesterday at a small loch in Fife. American Wigeon are probably our second commonest Nearctic visitor after Ring-necked Duck but it was still nice to catch up with one so close to home

(Cygnus olor)

This is not a species I get to photograph too often and when I do come across them, they're usually too far away but I was very pleased to get some super shots down at WWT Caerlaverock, just south of Dumfries

Le Teich - Gironde - France

Ruddy shelduck

This female Northern Pintail is curious and is looking to see what's up with her head held high. Her body feathers camouflage perfectly with the surrounding hay, providing a great nesting opportunity.

Taken 10 May 2020 at Homer, Alaska

Canada Geese at Musselburgh today

Muscovy Duck

A lovely Mallard on ice at Hogganfield Loch

Aix sponsa (M)

Female Tufted Duck

Beginning in November, Tundra swans migrate to rice fields in areas of California's Central Valley. Marysville, in the Sacramento Valley area, is an especially favorite place to see these beautiful birds. In fact, there is an annual Marysville Swan Festival in mid-November.

After the harvest, rice farmers flood their fields to give the swans a proper winter home. When they first arrive, their feathers are a pristine white. Soon, though, the soil in the flooded rice fields stain them a rusty brown. In March, they migrate back to their Arctic breeding grounds.

During those same months, November through March, the Central Valley is subject to the tule fog phenomenon: thick ground fog, often obscuring all visibility. This day, driving through pea soup fog, there was a fear we would not be able to see these beautiful birds, even if they were only a few feet from us. Luckily, the fog started to lift in late afternoon and, just at sunset, cleared up for a few minutes before returning to envelop the valley.

A wee trip out to Linlithgow today with some sunshine

Lac de Loupiac/Bannac - Lot - France

Canada Geese have a well established naturalised population in Central Scotland. Not everyone's favourite, but they're here to stay

In some of the last oen water at Broadwood Loch, Cumbernauld

Another Goosander shot, this time from Linlithgow this afternoon on a dull dreich day. High ISO required but with a bit of post-processing I'm quite happy with the result

(Mareca penelope)

Malmö

Sweden

Have a nice week

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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.

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Canada Goose

Eurasian Wigeon

Hogganfield Loch near Glasgow

(Anser anser)

Son

Norway

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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.

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At the end of December, there were looking great but they are difficult birds to photograph with their contrasting plumage. Bright sunlight overdoes the whites, dull conditions hide the deep bottle green of the head

A naturalised Greylag coming into land on the stubble. These will shortly be joined by their Icelandic cousins at the end of the month

The last of the Pinkies are gathering for their journey back to Iceland. A small flock getting airborne with the Ochil Hills as a backdrop

A Mute Swan swimming at the local pond

Whooper Swan in one of the ponds out at Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa in Mountjoy Township located in the City of Timmins Northeastern Ontario Canada

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