Yesterday I posted a couple of pictures of shovelers in flight so for today I decided to share a few shots of a male shoveler on the water. I think these are really beautiful birds especially the male as this one in his breeding plumage, he is so colourful. Although their beaks are an unusual shape they are perfectly adapted to feeding on the food particles that they stir up with their feet which are working furiously beneath the water.
Often they feed in small groups because the action of their combined paddling makes the process more efficient but this one seemed quite content feeding on his own.
I like the sheen on the water and the reflections broken up by the ripples.
I have lots more shots from Chester Zoo to share but I thought I would mix things up for today otherwise I might end up going off on another conservation rant.
Last week I went to Mere Sands again hoping to snap the elusive kingfisher but again without success. There were a few different species of wildfowl to see so it wasn't a total disaster and I decided that I would also try capturing some shots of birds in flight. I managed some cormorants and some shelducks and these shovelers. I like the shapes they make with their wings and I like the way they flock together.
Because these are low resolution files they are not as sharp as the originals but for me these pictures more about the motion and shapes.
