Shelduck On The Wing

Today I wanted to continue the theme of birds in flight and today's choice of bird is the beautiful Shelduck. 

These were some way off and so I have cropped in quite close to get the best image. You can see from the first two pictures the fantastic markings on the underside of these handsome birds, seen here in breeding plumage. In the  first two images we have a male bird and in the other two shots there are two males and one female. The way they can be distinguished from each other is the male has a raised knob on its bright red bill.

These birds are more commonly seen around coastal estuaries so seeing them at Mere Sands was a treat. They will be busy rearing their broods of 8 to 10 young around about now. They like to nest in a variety of places including in holes on the ground, under brambles or between straw bales but they are also known to nest in trees.

They like to hang around in small family groups but can be seen in larger groups towards the end of the summer before the adults head off to the North Sea where they moult.

Living on the coast I am quite used to seeing these birds but surprisingly I haven't photographed them very often but having taken the time to find out a little more about them today I am inclined to go out and look for them again quite soon.