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Mother and child reunion


Mother and child reunion
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Paassen (Gert-Paassen) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1207 W: 2 N: 4559] (13788)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-05-02
Categories: Birds
Exposure: f/8, 1/800 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Full of tenderness / Plein de tendresse [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-09-01 20:59
Viewed: 294
Points: 28
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Dutch]
This picture also taken nearbij palace t'Loo.
Because there only in the mont april and may become people and the other 10 months are this closed for privat visiting.
In the months april and may the rododendrons and the azaleas are flowering also the dovetree that I posted 2 days ago.
The birds and mammals are there so free, no huuting.
So I found this mother with 7 youngsters but the others are swimming in the water.
I hope you like this one with the Mallard female and duckling.
Thanks for looking and critique.
I have done my best to make and nice composition from the two.
The picture also taken on my first holiday this year to visit the Veluwe.

Mallard
Latin name - Anas platyrhynchos

The mallard is about 20-28 inches in length and has a wingspan of about three feet. It has a blue patch on the top side of its wings with a white line around it. The male mallard has a green head and neck with a white ring bordering it. It has a brown chest, a whitish-gray underside, brown wings and a yellow bill. The female mallard is mottled brown and tan with a white tail and an orange bill.

Mallard courtship begins in the fall and by winter pairs will have formed. If a pair is part of a migrating group, the pair migrates to the female's territory. The female mallard lays eight to ten eggs in a nest on the ground. Nests are depressions in the ground and are usually no further than 100 yards from water. The nest is lined with down and is usually hidden in tall grass.

The mallard breeds in most of Canada and the United States. It winters throughout the United States and south to Central America and the West Indies. The mallard can also be found in Europe and Asia.

The mallard lives in marshes, lakes, swamps, rivers, streams and ponds.

Most of the mallard's diet is made up of plants. It eats the seeds of grasses and sedges and the leaves, stems, and seeds of aquatic plants. It occasionally eats insects and crustaceans and mollusks, especially when it is young. It prefers to forage in water that is less than 16 inches deep so it can duck its head down and reach plants at the bottom. The mallard sometimes forages on farmland for grains like rice, corn, oats, wheat, and barley.
After the mating season is over, some mallards in colder climates migrate in flocks to their wintering grounds. Other mallards in warmer areas where there is plenty of food will stay year-round.

The mallard is the ancestor of almost all breeds of domestic ducks. It breeds with feral domestic ducks. The offspring of these mismatched pairs exhibit a wide-variety of color patterns. The mallard also mates with other duck species like the American black duck and the northern pintail. In fact, there is some concern that the black duck species is in danger from hybridization with the mallard.


The eggs take about a month to hatch. The female incubates the eggs. The male will leave once incubation has begun. Within a day of hatching, the mother leads the chicks to water for their first swim. The chicks fledge when they are about eight weeks old.
boreocypriensis, cypturk, xTauruSx, goatman04, siggi, bahadir, zulfu, jconceicao, nglen, CeltickRanger, Noisette, jaycee has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To PeterZ: BedanktGert-Paassen 1 09-02 05:42
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi and Good Morning Big Bro Gert,

A lovely and perfect capture of this mother and child mallard.
As if they are seem to be talking:) Perfect capture!
TFS and cheers,

bayram

Hello Gert
a lovely and funny catch of these mother and baby mallards.
Wonderful shot. Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards.

Hello gert, very beutiful image of a mother and its baby.
TFS and regards,
Deniz

Hello Gert,

This is a beautiful capture of this Mallard & her youngster with lovely natural coloration, sharpness & details. Well done Gert & TFS.

Regards

Umar

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1373 W: 56 N: 4723] (16252)
  • [2009-09-02 4:57]

Hello Gert,
Very cute scane.Well caught,framed and composed.I liked POV,eye contacts,vivid colors and sharpness also a lot.
Best regards Siggi

Hallo Gert,
Op zich niet zo'n bijzondere foto, maar de combinatie van de moedereend met de varen en het zachte licht maakt deze foto opvallend. Mooie kleurencombinaties in de foto en een erg goede compositie.
Groet,
Peter

Hello Gert, lovely shot of these cute mallard family members with wonderful composition.
TFS and regards,
Bahadır

  • Great 
  • zulfu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1057 W: 0 N: 162] (868)
  • [2009-09-02 11:04]

Hello Gert, excellent shot of a mother and its child mallard with fine composition, nice pose and details.
TFS and G's,
Mehmet

Hello Gert,

Excellent capture.
Beautiful colours with fantastic details.
Lighting and definition are superb.
Good composition.

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2908 W: 34 N: 8625] (32146)
  • [2009-09-02 11:43]

Hi Gert. The colours are so bright in the picture of the Mallard and its young. You have taken this with sharp focusing and fine detail. I like the fern in the picture. with the clear water. A nice compostion. well done TFS.
Nick..

hello Gert

beautiful photo of the Mallard Mommy
with her duckling, fine POV, fine focus
excellent sharpness and details, TFS

Asbed

Hello Gert
lovely picture of this Mallard female and his duckling, nice scene captured with great details, the colors are splendid, i like the natural surroundings
Have a good night
Jacqueline

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2009-09-02 16:44]

Hi Gert,

Awwww - how sweet can a picture be? This one is sweet and beautiful. Mama and child are wonderful with beautiful colors and lovely details. The mother is magnificent. The setting is superb - I love how you have centered the bush and and given us a good view of the water. I like this very much.

Jane

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1339 W: 0 N: 2575] (9083)
  • [2009-09-04 2:42]

Hi Gert,
a very touching view of mother and child.cute composition with superbs sharpness. the light is very effective and the whole view is very catchy.

Regards,
Foozi

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