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Birds, Insects & Bats in flight (outdoors) Page 42

Image Taken on 05 Dec 2012 at 09:02    Image of day on 31 Dec 2012

We think the Magpie on the right is just landing. The lack of reaction from the bird on the left suggests that this might be a 'pair' waiting for Spring!


Ref: 20121231_d36_20121205_0902_082_fb4 2 magpies one probably landing & facing each other on icy tree-stump top(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 29 May 2006 at 18:07    Image of day on 14 Jun 2006

We never tire of Mallard Drakes in Flight. He will soon be moulting and losing those lovely colours until Autumn.


Ref: 20060614_d10_20060529_1807_472 mallard drake in flight(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 16 Apr 2020 at 17:53    Image of day on 06 May 2020

A triplet of Mallard ducks - the 'standard' 1 female and 2 males spent several minutes circling the area.
Unexpectedly they decided to touch down in the margin of the field to our east. Here the female is at the left, with one male about to land and the other doing a rather inelegant bellyflop. Mallard ducks are not very good at landing on solid ground but 'any landing you can walk away from is good'.


Ref: 20200506_df3_20200416_1753_018 mallard duck female + 2 males landing after extended flight (adjusted crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 07 Apr 2011 at 17:37    Image of day on 30 Apr 2011

What? Female chasing the males? Genuine single frame.


Ref: 20110430_df1_20110407_1737_349 mallard duck female following 2 males in flight (discontinuous 4 of 5) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 05 Mar 2012 at 16:28    Image of day on 05 Apr 2012

A Mallard duck female circling the plot waiting for the 2-legs (us!) to 'vanish'


Ref: 20120405_df1_20120305_1628_169 mallard duck female in flight (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 18 Mar 2012 at 16:09    Image of day on 16 Apr 2012

A female Mallard duck showing the signs of her 'boyfriend's affections' on the nape of her neck where he has gripped her while having his 'evil' ways with her.


Ref: 20120416_df1_20120318_1609_238 mallard duck female in flight (damaged nape feathers)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 06 Apr 2011 at 18:22    Image of day on 30 Apr 2011

One pair of Mallard ducks don't let us get closer than a few metres but seem to realise we are 'harmless'. Here this female saw us at the meadow post providing a later than usual baiting, and decided to fly in for a look.


Ref: 20110430_df1_20110406_1822_195 mallard duck female landing on grass facing camera 2 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 06 Apr 2012 at 18:04    Image of day on 30 Apr 2012

We bought the least expensive Thermal camera we could find to help us find nests. This is the thermal image (rather wider angle than the cropped natural image) of a concealed Mallard duck nest from maybe 8 metres away, highlighting her presence very well.


Ref: 20120430_ir1_20120406_1804_007 mallard duck female on nest within daffodils on round pond island (thermal - air temp 10c) (orig)(@240).jpg


Image Taken on 30 Apr 2012 at 10:42    Image of day on 28 May 2012

This female Mallard duck (with male a couple of metres left of her) took off as we approached the pond. This montage is of the 2nd and 4th images (from a set of 9) with the bird accurately positioned (apart from the Lily fronds blowing about in the wind).


Ref: 20120528_df1_20120430_1042_106+108 mallard duck female takeoff from main pond @7fps 2+4 of 9 (accurate montage 300ms apart)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 15 Apr 2014 at 17:52    Image of day on 04 Jun 2014

The male of this pair of Mallard ducks was following (or chasing!) the female on the right. We can't determine the accurate movement per frame, but read the action top left to bottom right.


Ref: 20140604_df2_20140415_1752_131-134 mallard duck male following female in flight 1-4 of 4 (arb mirrored montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 20 Mar 2012 at 15:30    Image of day on 16 Apr 2012

Perhaps the 'culprit' of the females feather loss - an accurate montage of a male mallard climbing steeply from take-off. This was probably at 7fps.


Ref: 20120416_df1_20120320_1530_069-071 mallard duck male gaining height in flight (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 20 Apr 2013 at 17:51    Image of day on 02 Jun 2013

There are now several lonely male mallard ducks sitting disconsolately or flying about. This is an arbitrary montage of one quacking as it went by.


Ref: 20130602_df1_20130420_1751_051-053 mallard duck male in flight 05-07 of 10 (arbitrary montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 21 Jan 2012 at 15:01    Image of day on 18 Feb 2012

Successive shots of this male mallard duck flying overhead taken at about 5fps, but much closer together than they should be in this montage.


Ref: 20120218_df1_20120121_1501_023-025 mallard duck male in flight 1-3 of 3 (arb montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 17 Apr 2012 at 17:42    Image of day on 10 May 2012

This male mallard flew past in the evening sun quacking quietly (as the males do). Without a static reference to accurately montage it, we present a 1950s '3 ducks' montage, all taken in about half a second.


Ref: 20120510_df1_20120417_1742_176-178 mallard duck male in flight 1-3 of 3 (artistic montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 16 Apr 2014 at 09:03    Image of day on 30 May 2014

This male Mallard duck is flying in to join 'his' female. There are 4 frames here, the last sees the splashdown near the bottom left corner. This is about half a second of action.


Ref: 20140530_df2_20140416_0903_306-309 mallard duck male landing in pond to meet female @ 7fps 1-4 of 8 (acc montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 02 Apr 2013 at 17:45    Image of day on 12 May 2013

This male Mallard duck gave up harassing a pair in flight and did a rather nice sweep to land on the bank of the duck-shaped pond. This is an accurate montage at about 7 fps at the start (top right) for 5 frames then alternate frames for the next 3 and then 3 frames skipped for the last.


Ref: 20130512_df1_20130402_1745_172-186 mallard duck male landing on bank of duck pond 01-05+07+09+11+15 of 20 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 02 Apr 2013 at 17:45    Image of day on 12 May 2013

The landing, though, was a bit heavy - ducks landing on land often are. The thump will have been taken by the strong breastbone (called the 'keel') that provides attachments for the powerful wing muscles. The back end bounces up showing the legs.


Ref: 20130512_df1_20130402_1745_189 mallard duck male landing on bank of duck pond 18 of 20 (crop for heavy landing)(r+mb id@432).jpg


Image Taken on 09 May 2013 at 07:21    Image of day on 15 Jun 2013

A male Mallard, starting the lose some of his bright green head feather, flew by giving us a gentle quack.


Ref: 20130615_df1_20130509_0721_129-132 mallard duck male quacking in flight 2-5 of 9 (arb montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 05 Apr 2016 at 15:41    Image of day on 11 May 2016

This male Mallard Duck made a tidy takeoff as Marie walked up the path to the Duck-shaped pond. All 5 frames are spread horizontally at about 7fps. In the first 3 you can see how he dips down to give himself a launching spring. This is less than 1 second of action.


Ref: 20160511_df3_20160405_1541_049+051-054 mallard duck male takeoff from bank of duck pond 1+3-6 of 6 (horizontally spread montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 05 Apr 2016 at 15:42    Image of day on 11 May 2016

A closer view of the next to last frame of the montage.


Ref: 20160511_df3_20160405_1542_053 mallard duck male takeoff from bank of duck pond 5 of 6 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


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