Mural by the Rudhall Brook

A corrugated iron fence next to the Rudhall Brook does no favours for that location in Ross on Wye. Consequently, several years ago murals were painted on it, one section depicting a colourful street scene with lights, the other with frogs, ducks and other animals to be seen on the Brook. In recent years it has shown its age somewhat and so sections are being re-painted and painted with different images. This duck's head took my fancy, particularly the glowing red eye amongs the blues and turquoise.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Preening drake goosander

I've mentioned before the obliging nature of some goosanders on the River Wye at Ross that now swim with the semi-tame mallards that people feed. Recently I've noted males and females preening as they drift about with the other waterbirds, a behaviour that seems to suggest they are comfortable near people. Preening allows the birds to put their feathers neatly together so they can fly, swim and dive most efficiently. It is also cleans the plumage and keeps parasites at bay. They can also spread preen oil from a gland near the tail that helps the waterproofing of the feathers. This male took little notice of me as I took my shot.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Mallards

Most of the domestic ducks that are farmed today are descended from the wild mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Presumably the mallard was chosen for domestication because many of the wild population tolerate the close proximity of humans, unlike other ducks. Being of the same species enables domestic ducks and mallards to interbreed and produce progeny of varying colours. This pair exhibit the colours of wild mallard but permitted a quite close approach.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Approachable goosanders

All birds have what can be called a "scare distance" i.e. the distance at which they will take flight due to the approach of a person. For a robin this is typically three or four yards. For a magpie or a jay will be a much greater distance; perhaps thirty yards or more. With all species this distance tends to be reduced during the nesting season or if food is scarce and they are eating something. Recently we have seen a couple of female goosanders, birds that typically fly when you get to within twenty or so yards, joining in with mallards (a bird with a short scare distance) and feeding really close to people. So close that I could fill the frame with the bird using the 24-200mm lens that was on my camera. I haven't been able to do this with goosanders before. I wonder what has made them so "tame".

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Mallard on the roof

When the breeding season begins in our part of Herefordshire the local mallards and Canada geese start to do something that they don't do at any other time of year: something that I have never come across prior to living here. They land on the ridges of the houses and stand there surveying the area round about. Why do they do it? Perhaps they are displaying themselves as "available". Maybe they are advertising their claim to the area. Whatever the reason, it looks most odd. A quick flip through Google images shows that it is not uncommon, but is unusual enough for people to photograph the phenomenon.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Gadwall drake

The gadwall (Mareca streptera) is a subtly coloured, reasonably common duck. It can be easily picked out among other surface feeding ducks of similar size by the grey/brown/black/white combination of colours and particularly by the white speculum. It is first recorded by a similar name (gaddel) by Merrett in 1667. This is thought to be onomatopoeic, referring to its incessant chattering. Old regional names for the gadwall include the insulting ("bastard" - Sussex), the unimaginative ("grey duck" - The Fens) and the lazy ("sand wigeon" - Essex). This drake gadwall was standing in the shallows of The Serpentine in Hyde Park, London.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Mandarin ducks and camouflage

As is typical with the majority of ducks, the male mandarin duck is brightly coloured and the female is relatively drab. In terms of camouflage the male stands out boldly against most backgrounds, and the female tends to blend in. Bright male colouring is thought to be connected to attracting a mate and drabness in the female an aid to camouflage when nesting. I knew this theoretically but it took this photograph, particularly the female surrounded by branches, bank and water, to bring home to me the extent to which this is so.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Drake goosander

It has been long known that the majority of British resident shelducks travel to Great Knechtsand, in the Heligoland Bight, off the German coast, to moult and then return to Britain for the winter. What was relatively recently discovered is that the Scottish population of male goosanders (and perhaps others) travel to the North Cape of Norway to moult. Whilst there they are joined by males from other parts of Europe. What prompts this gender specific migration is not known, but maybe this male that I photographed on the River Wye at Ross had made that June to October sojourn.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

The goosanders of the River Wye

The most common duck on the stretch of the River Wye with which I am familiar is probably the goosander (Mergus merganser). It may be outnumbered by mallards but the goosander is certainly more visible, diving for fish and skimming, arrow-like over the surface if the river. The male is a striking dark green and creamy white bird with a long, red bill. The female is more subtly coloured, soft grey and white with a russet head and a red bill. This trio were caught by the sun as they preened near the shade of the bank, and that highlight combined with the dark water showed them off to perfection.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

The duck speculum

The speculum is a patch of colour on the secondary flight feathers of many species of duck. Each type of duck has a specific colour and often this is iridescent. It can be a useful clue to bird identification, particularly when birds are immature or in moult. The photograph shows the speculum of Britain's most common duck, the mallard. It is iridescent purple/blue with black and white edges. This species has interbred with domestic ducks and frequently the speculum of the hybrid is a clue to the parentage of one half of the union.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900