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Who’s Your Daddy? (20)
Silke
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 727 W: 98 N: 1694]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (5406) | I was back at Richmond Hill’s Mill Pond Park yesterday morning for shots of the park and pond with the warm light of a slanting morning sun. When I finished, I sat down at the edge of the pond to try for a few shots of the odd collection of ducks and geese that make their home there. After a little while, the birds ventured a little closer, probably looking for a handout despite the signs all around asking the humans not to feed the birds. I can’t blame them: they can’t read and many of the visitors choose not to.
I am no ornithologist, but I was prepared to call this one a female mallard until I started looking at the galleries of knowledgeable TrekNature members and then at information on the wider web.
My starting point was mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos), a very common waterbird in North America. But nowhere did I see any mention of the distinct green striping I saw in this bird here. Then I found Mike (Fisher)Hodgson’s posting earlier this year. His American Black Duck has a head that looks suspiciously like this one. But the speculum of the American Black Duck (Anas Rubripes has no white stripes (as you can see in the workshop), nor does its head apparently have green stripes. Of course it didn’t take much longer to discover that the two species, which are closely related, are known to interbreed and that the results have made identification difficult at times.
It’s amazing how nature does continue to evolve. I wonder whether man is included in the evolution?
Tech: shot in RAW, converted to jpg, cropped, resized and sharpened selectively
Thanks for looking, for reading and for critiquing.
Have a brilliant day (^o^) |
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| Altered Image #2
Silke
(5406)
The community context
Edited by:Silke
(5406) |
| Here you see part of the odd little community that has developed on the pond. In addition to the white geese (which I cannot seem to identify, and would love your help with), the Canadian geese and the mallard hybrid, there are swans and other waterbirds that I have not yet been able to get close enough to to photograph. |
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| Altered Image #1
Silke
(5406)
Alternate view
Edited by:Silke
(5406) |
| Here you can see the blue speculum and the white bands that normally mark the female mallard. |
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