On a very gloomy day, I paid another visit to the Shropshire Ornithological Reserve at Venus Pool. It was not a day for photography, especially to capture flying birds. These two Greylag Geese seen leaving came out better than I dared hope. No mistaking the all-orange bill and the extensive pale grey forewing.
A fine-looking drake Teal. Note the long scapulars hanging along the back.
In the foreground a pair of Gadwall, the drake with the very black rear-end and the duck with the very obvious orange edges to the bill. Behind is a duck Wigeon, very obviously more orange-toned with quite a different bill-colour even though we cannot see much of it here. Note the brown scapulars along the back of the drake Gadwall.
Two drake and one duck Wigeon.
Same again with the duck making her voice heard. Note the characteristic blue-grey bill colour of both sexes.
She is still complaining about something. Typical male ignoring her.
A pair of Wigeon with the drake in front. Behind them a pair of Teal with the duck closest to us, best identified here by the white stripe in the side of the tail.
Now what is going on here? From the front a drake Gadwall, a duck Gadwall, another drake Gadwall and er? At the back a drake Wigeon. So just what is the black object? Apart from its size there are very few clues though it was heard to make the characteristic ‘quack-quack’ call of a duck Mallard and that is indeed what it must be. Definitely a ‘mucky duck’ with the potential to breed and produce an array of multi-plumaged confusing off-spring.
The woodland feeding station was obviously even gloomier than the open water area. This male Great Spotted Woodpecker (the red just visible on the nape tells us that) climbed up a limb in somewhat better light. Note the way the still tail feathers are used as a prop. Note too the powerful-looking claws on the well-spread feet giving added stability.
(Ed Wilson)
