Dabbling in my garden...:))

A cut piece from my lilac brush/tree!

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Mottled brown dabbling duck with distinctive striped head pattern. Note purple/green metallic panel on wing and slightly domed head. Common throughout range, often found on or beside ponds, wetlands, and rivers. Hybridizes with Mallard. Similar to female Mallard but note Pacific Black Duck’s darker coloration and distinctive striped cream head with gray bill, darker legs and feet. Also look for green speculum with black border in flight. (eBird)

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Mom out with her well-behaved duckings. I love how they've lined up neatly two by two.

Lake Wallace, Wallerawanga, New South Wales, Australia. October 2022.

Eagle-Eye Tours - Eastern Australia.

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...

I know I said I was going to step away from my garden and post other flowers but...A woman has a right to change her mind!! :))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Dabbling in my garden...:))

This species tends to be the favored bird to be used in advertisements geared toward conserving wetlands and promoting wildlife.

They nest in tree cavities where they are physically adept to perch in trees given the sharp claws they have on their feet. Man-made nesting boxes are readily accepted by these birds as well. This is the only species of duck that raises two broods in one breeding season.

Most often we find this member of the "Dabbling Duck" family feeding on the surface of the water gleaning seeds or tipping up to feed on aquatic plants.

This male is quietly enjoying a short rest between feeding times and has a female nearby.

Garganey - Spatula querquedula (M)

Neath

The garganey (Spatula querquedula) is a small dabbling duck. It breeds in much of Europe and western Asia, but is strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to southern Africa, India (in particular Santragachi), Bangladesh (in the natural reservoirs of Sylhet district) and Australasia in winter, where large flocks can occur.

The adult male is unmistakable, with its brown head and breast with a broad white crescent over the eye. The rest of the plumage is grey, with loose grey scapular feathers It has a grey bill and legs. In flight it shows a pale blue speculum with a white border. When swimming it will show prominent white edges on its tertials. His crown (anatomy) is dark and face is reddish brown.

Some care is needed in separating the brown female from the similar common teal, but the stronger face markings and more frequent head-shaking when dabbling are good indicators.

Garganey are rare breeding birds in the British Isles, with most breeding in quiet marshes in Norfolk and Suffolk. In Ireland a few pairs breed in Wexford, with occasional breeding elsewhere.

Naples Botanical Gardens

Southwest Florida

USA

The mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) or mottled mallard is a medium-sized dabbling duck. It is intermediate in appearance between the female mallard and the American black duck. It is closely related to those species, and is sometimes considered a subspecies of the former, but this is inappropriate (see systematics).

There are two distinct populations of mottled ducks. One population, A. fulvigula maculosa (mottled duck), lives on the Gulf of Mexico coast between Alabama and Tamaulipas (Mexico); outside the breeding season individual birds may venture as far south as to Veracruz. The other, A. fulvigula fulvigula (Florida duck), is resident in central and south Florida and occasionally strays north to Georgia. The same disjunct distribution pattern was also historically found in the local sandhill cranes.

Along the Gulf of Mexico coast, the mottled duck is one of the most frequently banded waterfowl. This is due in part to the fact that it is mostly non-migratory. Approximately one out of every twenty mottled ducks are banded, making it an extremely prized and sought after bird among hunters. – Wikipedia

Naples Botanical Gardens

Southwest Florida

USA

The mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) or mottled mallard is a medium-sized dabbling duck. It is intermediate in appearance between the female mallard and the American black duck. It is closely related to those species, and is sometimes considered a subspecies of the former, but this is inappropriate (see systematics).

There are two distinct populations of mottled ducks. One population, A. fulvigula maculosa (mottled duck), lives on the Gulf of Mexico coast between Alabama and Tamaulipas (Mexico); outside the breeding season individual birds may venture as far south as to Veracruz. The other, A. fulvigula fulvigula (Florida duck), is resident in central and south Florida and occasionally strays north to Georgia. The same disjunct distribution pattern was also historically found in the local sandhill cranes.

Along the Gulf of Mexico coast, the mottled duck is one of the most frequently banded waterfowl. This is due in part to the fact that it is mostly non-migratory. Approximately one out of every twenty mottled ducks are banded, making it an extremely prized and sought after bird among hunters. -Wikipedia

I was surprised to get this shot of a young wood duck with a fish. Until yesterday, I'd (incorrectly) thought that dabbling ducks didn't eat fish, or at least fish this size. I've now learned better!

Dabbling in my garden...:))

Naples Botanical Gardens

Southwest Florida

USA

The mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) or mottled mallard is a medium-sized dabbling duck. It is intermediate in appearance between the female mallard and the American black duck. It is closely related to those species, and is sometimes considered a subspecies of the former, but this is inappropriate (see systematics).

There are two distinct populations of mottled ducks. One population, A. fulvigula maculosa (mottled duck), lives on the Gulf of Mexico coast between Alabama and Tamaulipas (Mexico); outside the breeding season individual birds may venture as far south as to Veracruz. The other, A. fulvigula fulvigula (Florida duck), is resident in central and south Florida and occasionally strays north to Georgia. The same disjunct distribution pattern was also historically found in the local sandhill cranes.

Along the Gulf of Mexico coast, the mottled duck is one of the most frequently banded waterfowl. This is due in part to the fact that it is mostly non-migratory. Approximately one out of every twenty mottled ducks are banded, making it an extremely prized and sought after bird among hunters. – Wikipedia

When I saw my photos of this day, this one reminded me my last aerobics class. The instructor giving the group motivation to do one more set.

This photograph is of some Greater Flamingos dabbling for food while another one watches.

By swimming like this and up-ending, they can reach deeper than they could by wading. This approach isn't very common—usually they're feeding in shallower water, and just wading with their heads down, but it's one of their standard feeding behaviors.

This was taken in Castro Marim which is a town in the Algarve, on the Portugal southern border with Spain.

-Phoenicopterus roseus

Bento Mesh Head: LeLutka Avalon EVO-X

Bento Mesh Body: Maitreya Lara

Face: Sylvie by [the Skinnery]

Esma Eyes Applier: .euphoric

Hair: Eden by DOUX

Ensemble: Clare by Belle Epoque (made for Maitreya, Legacy, Perky, Petite, & Reborn) now @ We Love Role-Play @ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Riverhunt/129/128/27

Winter's Crown: (w/ texture HUD) by Rainbow Sundae now @ We Love Role-Play @ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Riverhunt/129/128/27

Festive Rings: RealEvil

Heart of the Sea Necklace: Zuri's

Ferret Collection / Arm Held: JIAN

White Stag Rest/Startle: JINX

White Stag Battle: JINX

White Stag ULTRA RARE Rideable: JINX

Enchantment Squirrel on a Stump: Dabble

Twin Birch (Winter) - Animated: LAQ Decor

Medium Birch (Winter) - Animated: LAQ Decor

Snowy Dead Tree: Moon Sha

Snow covered woods [Snow Base]: Soy.

Mandarin - Whipsnade 07-04-2015 5D2A2579

Dabbling in my garden...:)

A stroll through Hawk Wood in Epping Forest in August 1983.

Another of my slides.

Dabbling in my garden...:))

A male Mallard Duck casually gliding along a marsh pond in the Hendrie Valley Sanctuary, Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario.

(Anas platyrhynchos)

grey teal (Anas gracilis)

One of four Greater male Scaups pleasantly enjoying the golden light. I got seperation on this shot from the hens he was hiding behind. The tricky thing about these guys is getting the green to show on the head. He had turned just right allowing it to show it's brilliance.

This lone Mallard duck was following me while I walked along the Lake Ontario shoreline at Burloak Waterfront Park, Burlington, Ontario.

(Anas platyrhynchos)

Blue-winged Teal feed at sunset. Quivira NWR

Dabbling in my garden abstract!! :))

May colours of the Hillsborough River.

Have a great start to your week :)

Dabbling around with panning shots in Vancouver.

A male Northern Shoveler for a couple seconds with it's head out of the mud. They dabble using that big flat bill to search for food such as mollusks, insects, crustaceans and seeds. Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Galloway, NJ.

...and onto a log, this male Mallard Duck shows his colour. Seen in the Hendrie Valley Sanctuary, within the Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario.

(Anas platyrhynchos)

Been having a dabble at b&w using a rather convoluted method of my own. This was taken at another interesting place called Kennal Vale. For some unknown reason I wasn't comfortable here and hurried round the place rather quickly but got a few of the old workings etc but I don't know why but I was a little spooked...

A picturesque woodland with some open glades, this reserve also contains a water-filled quarry. The Kennal Vale gunpowder factory was located here; however it closed in the first decade of the last century. It is a great reserve for wildlife, such as the pipistrelle bat, as well as an abundance of birdlife

Gadwall drake

Click to enjoy the details.

ORDER: Anseriformes; FAMILY: Anatidae; Habitat Lakes and Ponds; Food Plants; Nesting Ground; Behavior Dabbler

Conservation Low Concern

BASIC DESCRIPTION

Quiet lakes and wetlands come alive with the breezy whistle of the American Wigeon, a dabbling duck with pizzazz. Breeding males have a green eye patch and a conspicuous white crown, earning them the nickname "baldpate." [...]. [...]. Despite being common their populations are declining. [...].

American Wigeons eat a higher proportion of plant matter than any other dabbling duck thanks to their short gooselike bill. The shortness of the bill helps exert more force at the tip so they can pluck vegetation from fields and lawns with ease. [...].

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Wigeon/overview

Crab Apple Blossom in filtered morning sun

A male Red Shoveler shows it beautiful colours while posing on the ice after days of freezing temperatures at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre.

The male has cinnamon plumage with dark spots, the head and neck are grey with black spots on the crown, the eyes are a pale bluish white and the large spatula shaped bill is black. The wing has blue coverts, a green speculum and white underside.

This dabbling duck’s bill has a comb like structure on its edges which acts like a sieve to filter out food from the water's surface – when it’s not frozen!

Weekend Dabbling

Structures by David Moreno

Click on the Pic

A Black Duck hanging around the shorline of Burlington Bay during a winter afternoon, at LaSalle Park, Burlington, Ontario.

(Anas rubripes)

Smallest dabbling duck in North America

Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, NJ

youtu.be/BeulrmrnFL4

Just got back from my first work travel in a couple of years... here are more Blue-winged Teal, with a shot of a lovely couple. Quivira NWR, Kansas

American Wigeon along the Lake Ontario shoreline.

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