View allAll Photos Tagged Dabble
Taken from the Hushan section of the Great Wall of China.
Hushan, in Liaoning province, 15 km northeast of Dandong, is the easternmost section of the Great Wall of China. (That is to say, the easternmost known to date...) About 600 meters of the wall were excavated here in 1989 and, in 1992, a section was renovated and open to the public. The section runs about 1,200 meters over the top of Hushan Mountain.
The wall was built during the Ming Dynasty. The wall, like the nearby city of Dandong, were established to guard against Korean invaders from the south.
As far as sections of the wall go, this is probably about as common as the other renovated sections I've been to (Badaling, Mutianyu, Juyongguan). What makes this distinctive -- along with being the easternmost section -- is its proximity to the North Korean border. Hushan Mountain, at many points, is within 15-20 meters of sovereign North Korean soil. It's quite fascinating to be that close to that country without having the massive DMZ that you find on the southern end of the DPRK. It makes it feel like a more "naked look" into that nation.
One more week to get your entries in! Contest ends 2/12.
'
1. "Kiss Me Deadly" poisoned lipstick, 2. Crazy for you, 3. Bitter Candy Hearts Bracelet, 4. anti-valentines card, 5. Black Mended Heart Necklace, 6. I tore my heart out for you, 7. ATC-AntiVal2009, 8. lovelost_3, 9. HeartLine, 10. I Heart Maggots, 11. True Love, 12. 2009_365_013 Black Heart Anti-Valentine
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
Photographed at Zealandia, Karori Sanctuary.
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered endemic
Brown teal is one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. • Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has resulted in increased competition for preferred wetland habitats and, because these habitats are limited in the Sanctuary, losses have occurred as a result.
Supplementary feeding of maize has been largely discontinued since early 2006 to reduce productivity and competition for territories.
Genetic analysis of the population in 2006-2007 should clarify whether or not there has been a loss of genetic diversity and whether additional birds need to be released into the population in future.
Active monitoring over the breeding season has ceased due to the fact that the population is self-sustaining.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
One of the most rare ducks in the world! Photographed at Zealandia, Karori Sanctuary, Wellington, New Zealand.
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered endemic
Brown teal is one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. • Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has resulted in increased competition for preferred wetland habitats and, because these habitats are limited in the Sanctuary, losses have occurred as a result.
Supplementary feeding of maize has been largely discontinued since early 2006 to reduce productivity and competition for territories.
Genetic analysis of the population in 2006-2007 should clarify whether or not there has been a loss of genetic diversity and whether additional birds need to be released into the population in future.
Active monitoring over the breeding season was ceased in 200x due to the fact that the population is self-sustaining.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
One of the most rare ducks in the world! Photographed at Zealandia, Karori Sanctuary, Wellington, New Zealand.
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered endemic
Brown teal is one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. • Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has resulted in increased competition for preferred wetland habitats and, because these habitats are limited in the Sanctuary, losses have occurred as a result.
Supplementary feeding of maize has been largely discontinued since early 2006 to reduce productivity and competition for territories.
Genetic analysis of the population in 2006-2007 should clarify whether or not there has been a loss of genetic diversity and whether additional birds need to be released into the population in future.
Active monitoring over the breeding season was ceased in 200x due to the fact that the population is self-sustaining.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
Mallard Duck
The Mallard or Wild Duck is a Dabbling Duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are gregarious. This species is the ancestor of most breeds of domestic ducks.
Lake Takanassee
Lake Takanassee is downstream of Whale Pond Brook, which flows through the Monmouth University campus in West Long Branch.
Dabbling in mono.. all shots are straight out of the camera..not my shadow, but that of a passer- by.
Westover Road, Bournemouth 18.11.2014
1. Felt and old wool sweater (shrink it!)., 2. Cut our your ornament shapes, 3. Cut a 'window' in one of your two halves, 4. Materials: sweater material, old plastic packaging (flexible and clear), embroidery thread, ribbon or thread for hanging, 5. Cut a square out of your packagin slightly larger than the window., 6. sew the window on to your sweater, 7. Window sewn in, 8. Stitch the two pieces together,, 9. Leave a space large enough to stuff/insert picture., 10. Stich around the window to cover your thread, 11. Ready to stuff: insert picture, and stuff, and then stitch closed, 12. Hang on tree!
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
Dabbling in a bit of street photography, I noticed this woman and child, quite oblivious of the clash her cardigan was making. This could have been 1968, but wasn't.
The Mallard, or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas.
El ánade real o azulón (Anas platyrhynchos) es una especie de ave anseriforme de la familia Anatidae. Es un pato de superficie común y muy extendido.
Dabbling with macro lens at f/2.8 and no focus stacking, given a slight textured effect in PS ... probably not everyone’s cup of tea ...
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
in case you missed it on facebook
"Go sanders"
A Goosander duck and seven ducklings seen dabbling in Goldrill Beck, Patterdale, Cumbria.
The fun starts about 22 seconds in.
6yrold was a little low energy after return from the hair salon on this warm day. Better view of this in the light box.
American Black Duck
The American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) is a large dabbling duck. American Black Ducks are similar to mallards in size, and resemble the female mallard in coloration, although the black duck's plumage is darker. It is native to eastern North America and has shown reduction in numbers and increasing hybridization with the more common mallard as that species has spread with man-made habitat changes.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located in southern New Jersey along the Atlantic coast north of Atlantic City, in Atlantic and Ocean counties. The refuge was created in 1984 out of two existing refuge parcels created to protect tidal wetland and shallow bay habitat for migratory water birds. The Barnegat Division (established in 1967) is located in Ocean County on the inland side of Barnegat Bay. The Brigantine Division (established in 1939) is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Atlantic City along the south bank of the mouth of the Mullica River. The two divisions are separated by approximately 20 miles (32 km). The refuge is located along most active flight paths of the Atlantic Flyway, making it an important link in the network of national wildlife refuges administered nationwide by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Forsythe Refuge is a part of the Hudson River/New York Bight Ecosystem and The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. The refuge is named for Edwin B. Forsythe, conservationist Congressman from New Jersey.
One of the rarest ducks in the world!
Photographed at Zealandia, Wellington, New Zealand.
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered, endemic to New Zealand.
Brown teal are one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999 making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has been achieved.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
Dabbling ducks tip themselves face first into the water, (so you see their bottoms pointing into the air), and filter water through their beaks to harvest food from beneath the surface. This is called "dabbling." You were wondering, weren't you!
ducks and pictures and facts:
Cheers, have a great Monday! :D
The pateke at Zealandia have babies - great news for one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Family: Anatidae (Dabbling ducks)
Status: endangered endemic
Brown teal is one of three closely related species of teal in New Zealand. The other two being the flightless subantarctic Auckland teal and Campbell Island teal.
Once common throughout New Zealand, habitat destruction, especially swamp drainage and predation, have resulted in brown teal becoming one of our most nationally endangered species of waterfowl. Approximately 1300 birds were surviving nationwide in 1999making it one of the rarest ducks in the world!
Most birds are to be found on Great Barrier Island. There are a few brown teal on Kapiti, Mana, and Tiritiri Matangi Islands, the eastern side of Northland and a new population has recently been established in the Coromandel area. Brown teal are regularly present at the Waikanae Estuary, probably part of the Kapiti Island population.
In the South Island, a few birds survive in Fiordland.
Recognition: About half the size of the common mallard duck, brown teal stand 48cm tall and weigh just over half a kilo as an adult. The male is slightly larger than the female. Brown teal have a warm brown plumage, with dark-brown mottling on the breast. Breeding males have a glossy green head, a narrow white collar, broad green and narrow white bands on the wings and a white flank patch. A distinctive feature of all brown teal is their blue-black bill and the narrow white ring around the eye. Their eyes are brown. Males give a soft whistle, and the female a low quack and growl.
Brown teal are often referred to as bush ducks, since they prefer stream and bushland habitats. They are reluctant flyers and are shallow divers, dabbling just below the surface for food. Their favourite food is invertebrates and they mainly feed in the evening or at night.
Breeding: Most brown teal breed from June to October but are able to breed at almost any time of the year.
They begin breeding at about 2 years of age and can lay clutches of up to 8 eggs. • Brown teal build a bowl-shaped nest near water, under the cover of dense tussocks or ferns, constructed with grasses lined with down. The female incubates the eggs about 30 days while the drake guards the nest - they are strongly territorial during breeding. Chicks fledge at an age of about 2 months. Brown teal pairs generally have stable relationships. The oldest known teal in the wild lived over 6 years.
Brown teal at Karori Sanctuary. 18 brown teal were initially released in 2000 and 2001. Breeding started from late 2002 and good productivity has resulted in increased competition for preferred wetland habitats and, because these habitats are limited in the Sanctuary, losses have occurred as a result.
Supplementary feeding of maize has been largely discontinued since early 2006 to reduce productivity and competition for territories.
Genetic analysis of the population in 2006-2007 should clarify whether or not there has been a loss of genetic diversity and whether additional birds need to be released into the population in future.
Active monitoring over the breeding season has ceased due to the fact that the population is self-sustaining.
Brown teal are readily seen on the lower and upper lakes. Being forest dwellers as well as water dwellers, some are being regularly seen at the kaka feeders below the upper dam at dusk and also at the southern end of the Faultline Track. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New Zealand.
2007 Photograph, Pair of Green-winged Teal Dabbling (Anas carolinensis, Duck Family Anatidae), Huntley Meadows, Alexandria, Virginia © 2020.
Dabbling With Topaz
Innsbruck, capital of Austria’s western state of Tyrol, is a city in the Alps that's long been a destination for winter sports. Innsbruck is also known for its Imperial and modern architecture.
The Mallard is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are gregarious. This species is the ancestor of most breeds of domestic ducks.
The Mallard is a medium-sized waterfowl species although is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks. It is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long (of which the body makes up around two-thirds), has a wingspan of 81–98 cm (32–39 in), and weighs 0.72–1.58 kg (1.6–3.5 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 25.7 to 30.6 cm (10.1 to 12.0 in), the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in) and the tarsus is 4.1 to 4.8 cm (1.6 to 1.9 in). The breeding male Mallard is unmistakable, with a glossy bottle-green head and white collar which demarcates the head from the purple-tinged brown breast, grey brown wings, and a pale grey belly. The rear of the male is black, with the dark tail having white borders. The bill of the male is a yellowish orange tipped with black while that of the female is generally darker ranging from black to mottled orange. The female Mallard is predominantly mottled with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat and neck with a darker crown and eye-stripe. Both male and female Mallards have distinct iridescent purple blue speculum feathers edged with white, prominent in flight or at rest, though temporarily shed during the annual summer moult. Upon hatching, the plumage colouring of the duckling is yellow on the underside and face (with streaks by the eyes) and black on the backside (with some yellow spots) all the way to the top and back of the head. Its legs and bill are also black. As it nears a month in age, the duckling's plumage will start becoming drab, looking more like the female (though its plumage is more streaked) and its legs will lose their dark grey colouring. Two months after hatching, the fledgling period has ended and the duckling is now a juvenile. Between three to four months of age, the juvenile can finally begin flying as its wings are fully developed for flight (which can be confirmed by the sight of purple speculum feathers). Its bill will soon lose its dark grey colouring and its sex can finally be distinguished by three factors. The bill colouring is yellow in males, black and orange for females. The breast feathers are reddish-brown for males, brown for females. The centre tail feather is curled for males (called a drake feather), straight for females.[citation needed]
During the final period of maturity leading up to adulthood (6–10 months of age), the plumage of female juveniles remains the same while the plumage of male juveniles slowly changes to its characteristic colours.[citation needed] This plumage change also applies to adult Mallard males when they transition in and out of their non-breeding eclipse plumage at the beginning and the end of the summer moulting period. The adulthood age for Mallards is 14 months and the average life expectancy is 20 years.
A male Mallard's head
Several species of duck have brown-plumaged females which can be confused with the female Mallard. The female Gadwall (A. strepera) has an orange-lined bill, white belly, black and white speculum which is seen as a white square on the wings in flight, and is a smaller bird. More similar to the female Mallard in North America are the American Black Duck (A. rubripes), which is notably darker hued in both sexes than the Mallard, and the Mottled Duck (A. fulvigula), which is somewhat darker than the female Mallard, with no white edge on the speculum and slightly different bare-part colouration.
In captivity, domestic ducks come in wild-type plumages, white, and other colours. Most of these colour variants are also known in domestic Mallards not bred as livestock, but kept as pets, aviary birds, etc., where they are rare but increasing in availability.
A noisy species, the male has a nasal call, and a high-pitched whistle, while the female has a deeper quack stereotypically associated with ducks.
The Mallard is a rare example of both Allen's Rule and Bergmann's Rule in birds. Bergmann's Rule, which states that polar forms tend to be larger than related ones from warmer climates, has numerous examples in birds. Allen's Rule says that appendages like ears tend to be smaller in polar forms to minimize heat loss, and larger in tropical and desert equivalents to facilitate heat diffusion, and that the polar taxa are stockier overall. Examples of this rule in birds are rare, as they lack external ears. However, the bill of ducks is very well supplied with blood vessels and is vulnerable to cold.
Due to the malleability of the Mallard's genetic code, which gives it its vast interbreeding capability, mutations in the genes that decide plumage colour are very common and have resulted in a wide variety of hybrids such as Brewer's Duck.
THIS IS AN ELLESMERE PORT BIRD ..... WOW...
Although the Chestnut Teal occurs at wetlands hundreds of kilometres inland, the species’ strongholds are usually near the coast. It is one of the few species of Australian ducks that can tolerate habitats with highly saline water. They regularly occur in estuaries, inlets, exposed mudflats, coastal lagoons, saltmarsh and evaporation ponds at saltworks. Nevertheless, they also occur at freshwater wetlands. They usually feed at the margins of wetlands, among aquatic vegetation in the shallows or upending in deeper water, or dabbling on recently covered mudflats or sand.
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
The mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) or mottled mallard is a medium-sized species of 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 erroneously considered a subspecies of the former.
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 20 mottled ducks is banded, making it an extremely prized and sought after bird among hunters.
Subspecies
There are two distinct subspecies of the mottled duck. One subspecies, the Gulf Coast mottled duck (A. f. maculosa), lives on the Gulf of Mexico coast between Alabama and Tamaulipas (Mexico); outside the breeding season, individual birds may venture as far south as Veracruz. The other, the Florida mottled duck (A. f. fulvigula), is resident in central and southern Florida and occasionally strays north to Georgia. The same disjunct distribution pattern was also historically found in the local sandhill cranes. Individuals of both subspecies were introduced into South Carolina in the 1970s and 1980s, where the birds of mixed ancestry have greatly expanded in range, extending through the Atlantic coastal plain of Georgia into northeastern Florida.
Description
The adult mottled duck is 44 to 61 cm (17–24 in) long from head to tail. It has a dark body, lighter head and neck, orange legs and dark eyes. Both sexes have a shiny green-blue speculum (wing patch), which is not bordered with white as with the mallard. Males and females are similar, but the male's bill is bright yellow, whereas the female's is deep to pale orange, occasionally lined with black splotches around the edges and near the base.
The plumage is darker than in female mallards, especially at the tail, and the bill is yellower. In flight, the lack of a white border to the speculum is a key difference. The American black duck is darker than most mottled ducks, and its wing-patch is more purple than blue. The behaviour and voice are the same as the mallard.
Mottled ducks feed by dabbling in shallow water, and grazing on land. They mainly eat plants, but also some mollusks and aquatic insects. The ducks are fairly common within their restricted range; they are resident all-year round and do not migrate. Their breeding habitat is brackish and intermediate coastal marshes, but they will also use human developed habitat such as retaining ponds, water impoundments, and agricultural land during the breeding season. According to a review of their breeding behaviors, mottled duck nests may be found in "pastures, levees, dry cordgrass marsh, cutgrass marsh, spoil banks, and small islands."
Measurements:
Male:
Length: 19.7–22.5 in (50–57 cm)
Weight: 30.9–43.8 oz (880–1,240 g)
Wingspan: 32.7–34.3 in (83–87 cm)
Female:
Length: 18.5–21.0 in (47–53 cm)
Weight: 24.7–40.6 oz (700–1,150 g)
Wingspan: 31.5–327.2 in (80–831 cm)
Systematics
The Floridian population, which occurs approximately south of Tampa, is separated as the nominate subspecies Anas fulvigula fulvigula and is occasionally called the Florida mottled duck or Florida mallard. It differs from the other subspecies, the Gulf Coast mottled duck (A. f. maculosa) (etymology: maculosa, Latin for "the mottled one"), by being somewhat lighter in color and less heavily marked; while both subspecies are intermediate between female mallards and American black ducks, the Florida mottled duck is closer to the former and the Gulf Coast mottled duck closer to the latter in appearance; this is mainly recognizable in the lighter head being quite clearly separated from the darker breast in Gulf Coast mottled ducks, but much less so in Florida mottled ducks. As the subspecies' ranges do not overlap, these birds can only be confused with female mallards and American black ducks however; particularly female American black ducks are often only reliably separable by their dark purple speculum from mottled ducks in the field.
mtDNA control region sequence data indicates that these birds are derived from ancestral American black ducks, being far more distantly related to the mallard, and that the two subspecies, as a consequence of their rather limited range and sedentary habits, are genetically well distinct already.
As in all members of the "mallardine" clade of ducks, they are able to produce fertile hybrids with their close relatives, the American black duck and the mallard. This has always been so to a limited extent; individuals of the migratory American black ducks which winter in the mottled duck's range may occasionally stay there and mate with the resident species, and for the mallard, which colonized North America later, the same holds true. Genetic tools have been developed in order to robustly classify hybrids and to assess and monitor the genetic dynamics of introgression between the Florida mottled duck and the mallard.
While the resultant gene flow is no cause for immediate concern, habitat destruction and excessive hunting could eventually reduce this species to the point where the hybridization with mallards would threaten to make it disappear as a distinct taxon. This especially applies to the Florida mottled duck, in the fairly small range of which rampant habitat destruction due to urbanization and draining of wetlands has taken place in the last decades; this, in combination with climate change affecting the Everglades, could be sufficient to cause the Florida mottled duck to decline to a point where hunting would have to be restricted or prohibited. At present, these birds too appear to be holding their own, with a population of 50,000-70,000 individuals. While hybridization is common, double white bars above and below the speculum are not a sufficient indicator of hybridization and therefore should not be used to determine genetics.
Dabbling in mono.. all shots are straight out of the camera.
Caught this stylish couple in the corner of the shot taken on Westover Road, Bournemouth 18.11.2014
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
At UT I dabbled in metal casting and fabrication. For my final I had this idea for a one-man grill. It is kind of lonely but with a sense of humor, something close to independence. The Steak Grill is made of steel and based on measurements from what was a delicious steak. It was some of the most fun I have had working on a school project and I have wanted to get back into a metal shop like that ever since.
The best part is it works. I guess you could only do one side of a T-bone but a couple dogs and a burger is perfect. The Steak Grill has had a few homes over the years and was trapped in a busted car trunk for a while.
Now that the grill is preserved in pictures I would like to try to get the rust off, or at least keep it from getting worse. Even if it was clean I am not sure how to keep it that way and still be able to eat off of it.
The Steak Grill won me an “A” and I have the pictures so maybe it is time for it to retire to rust somewhere permanent with the base buried like it sprouted out of the ground.
For more photos and videos by Mark Lewis visit mlewisphotovideo.com
For more <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/favorites" rel="nofollow">photos </a>and <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/video" rel="nofollow">videos </a>by <a href="mailto:mark@mlewisphotovideo.com" rel="nofollow">Mark Lewis </a>visit <a href="http://www.mlewisphotovideo.com/home" rel="nofollow">www.mlewisphotovideo.com</a>
Blogged here: www.dabbled.org/2009/02/cephalopod-week-links-to-cool-thi...
1. 21 Feet of Spandex., 2. Pentapus outside, 3. Squid (for Plush You), 4. Baby Octopus & Her Mommy Pattern :), 5. swaptopus detail, 6. Squid (de-inked), 7. Buddies, 8. tako!
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
earlier this month i got to do something new and excitng ( for me )...i had the opportunity to take some photos for a magazine article. my friends janet and joy are known as "the moggit girls" in the design blogging world, chronicling the fugly aspect of design;).
however, they have also, through their irrepressible charm and hard work, had the chance tobecome friendly with nate berkus and appear on his show as well as on the OWN (oprah winfrey network ).
and fianlly, they are also playing the role of the "quick pick chix" for dabble magazine, a canadian online magazine, headed by kimberly seldon and a group of very savvy design, travel and food types.
and this is where i came in:).
janet and joy needed a few photo of a wintery table setting for their upcoming column...and i was happy to oblige. in the final edit, their article ended up covering pages 31-33 in the most recent issue of dabble!
so, thank you girls for the fun:). and congrats on your continued success!
many of the photos that appear here did not appear in the article. but i needed to include the dog.
i mean, really? look at him.