In the nature reserve I saw quite a few Mallards and some Egyptian Geese, which were in another pond far from the exotic Mandarin Duck. Here they are, and although they are both a more common species, I think they are very beautiful.
The Mallard duck Anas platyrhynchos
Enlarged to get a closer look.
The Female.
The male.
The male enjoying the sun.
The Egyption Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca.
The sexes of this species mate for life. They are identical in appearance
A native of Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile. It was introduced in parks and gardens as an ornamental bird species but escaped into the wild and is successfully breeding in a feral state in many countries in Europe.
39 comments:
the Egyptian Goose is so beautiful, I love the circle around the eyes. I am a fan of common every day beautiful birds or ducks or critters... each part of our world has its own common which are uncommon to others.
i have never seen an egyption goose, they are quite pretty!! mallards are very common here, as they are in most places. so overlooked because they are so common, but what a shame, they are so beautiful!!
gorgeous images today, as always!!
What beautiful pictures of the ducks.
The Egyptian goose is really great.
Greetings Irma
Te quedaron preciosas las fotografías. Sí es cierto los gansos del Nilo se han reproducido demasiado por aquí, cerca de donde vivo hay muchísimos. Besos.
Many Thanks. These are beautiful shots you took. Mallards are very common here. It is beautiful to walk along the water and watch them. Viola sends you many greetings.
p.s. I look forward to your next photos.
Hello dear Sonjia!
Your photos of the ducks are very beautiful. I love to see the Mallard duck. For many years ago a female Mallard duck landed in my garden pond. I couldn't believe my eyes :)
The Egyptian goose is also very pretty. How strange that they are identical in apperance.
Many birds are not identical.
All the best to you, and many warm hugs.
That Alopochen aegyptiaca would be nice to see sometime.
They are colourful and so cute to see them interact one another
I posted mallards too, but not as detailed. The Egyptian geese are interesting.
Beautiful photos. Cheers Diane
I can see that a visit to this reserve enabled you to complete Waterfowl 101, Sonjia, and it looks like you have graduated Summa cum laude. Ducks and geese the world over are enchanting. If the Mallard were not so familiar to us all we would be tripping over each other in admiration. Familiarity has not bred contempt, but indifference perhaps. But not for you and me! We will be Mallard champions forever and utter words of appreciation every time we see them! Hugs from a mild November in Ontario - David
These shots are lovely and I really like the Egyptian Goose.
The drake Mallard is a very handsome bird, Sonjia, and often overlooked by bird-watchers and photographers as it is so common, but it deserves better attention. In my opinion, it is also a bird of very pleasant character. You have captured them beautifully with your photos.
I am sorry to say that I cannot say the same of the Egyptian Goose (although your photos are splendid), as I consider them a nuisance as they cause problems locally, occupying the Osprey nests before the Ospreys return to breed, and I also find them rather ugly - but that's probably just me!
My very best wishes - stay safe - - - Richard
Lovely photographs of the Mallards and the Egyptian Goose.
Enjoy your November days.
All the best Jan
Beautiful Mallards and Egyptian Geese. Have a great day.
I've never seen an Egyptian Goose. How beautiful!
Stunning photos!
Hello Sonjia,
I enjoyed this post and your lovely photos of the Mallards, both the female and male and beautiful. The Egyptian Goose is beautiful too. They are all beautifully photographed. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post.
Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
...Sonjia these are wonderful! I always enjoy the green heads of the male mallards. Take care and have a wonderful weekend.
The mallard and the egyptian goose have one thing in common (besides beautiful plumage). That is their ability to survive and adapt. Mallards and their close relatives are almost worldwide inhabitants, persisting in many environments, and the egyptian goose is spreading its range. Is this a bad thing or a good thing? Who knows, opinions vary.
Nice photos!
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
It's interesting how the Egyptian goose ended up in the wild and beautiful capture of the duck and the details! Have a nice weekend
These birds are so beautiful. Great captures!
I love noticing the nice backgrounds you have in your photos. I love the water swirled. Neat ducks and such an unusual goose!
I've enjoyed your post. I hope my comment wasn't lost!
Hi Sonjia. I agree the Mallard is a beautiful duck. Unfortunately it is so common that most people don't look at them. Their habit of breeding with so many other species to make for strange offspring doesn't help their case.In some years/autumns we can catch good numbers of Redwings but not this time. I think they should be in France and Iberia by now. We missed so many when the weather was wet and windy but the Redwings carried on their way.
Stunning photos of the ducks!
The Mallards don't get the credit they deserve for being so handsome. You got some great shots of them and the goose.
Hello Sonjia :=) Yes, I see Mallards here in Seattle, but, No, I don’t often have the opportunity to get wonderful pictures of them like yours. Sweet captures! That 4th image … wow, you got the green so perfectly … it’s just striking! Now, on the other hand, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Egyption Goose. And isn’t it interesting … the male and female are identical in appearance. So unusual in nature. I really enjoyed this post. By the way, remember telling me about your 5 October 2022 post regarding the Strawberry Tree? I enjoyed that post so much that I updated my last post, where I asked about the Strawberry Tree, with a link to your post! You had all the answers! 😊 Very best regards to you from Seattle! John
These ducks are so beautiful and your wonderful focus captures all the detail of their beautiful feathers and coloring. Lovely.
Egyptian Goose look so unique.... never seen in nature.
great captures
Very professional photography of 2 types of birds ~ may be common but they are quite beautiful ~ Xo
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative harbor)
~
the Egyption Goose is rare in that way it is one of the few I really think is ugly. I find that strange.
I was glad to read your nice comment. And I admire your lovely Post here. Very interesting to see the different birds ... especially the native of Africa.
Happy MosaicMonday
Beautiful photos of the Mallard and Egyptian Duck, thanks Sonjia.
Beautiful ducks. There are so many striking varieties.
What an amazing selection of pictures. I often go on wild shoots with my friends and some of them have managed not only to bring down a goose but taken them home and roasted them. I understand that they are quite tasty but take a lot of drawing and cleaning before you can cook them. still in these difficult times some people will eat anything and some of us have to take what we can get. Have you eaten one Sonjia? I understand your husband was a pretty good shot.
Gracias por compartir tan lindas imágenes, de las que me gustaría destacar las que titulas como: La hembra, y el macho, porque son de una ejecución insuperables. ¡Enhorabuena!.
Me encantan los temas sobre la Naturaleza, por eso mismo disfruto mucho cada vez que te visito.
Un abrazo.
Dear Sonjia,
you are absolutely right, although mallard ducks are more of a familiar bird, they are beautiful with their iridescent plumage and pretty button-eyed faces. Also Egyptian Geese are very attractive looking - they are not seen very often in our country yet - so not that common for me :-) Oh, and the Mandarin ducks in your previous post look really great - I haven't seen them yet in such large numbers!
Thank you for your kind words in my previous blog post! <3 <3 <3
All the best
and have a wonderful time!
Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/11/internationale-glastage-in-der.html
Lovely photos. Thank you for introducing me to the Egyptian Goose. Beautiful colours around the black feathers in the middle and the circle around the eyes are just wonderful.
-Soma
A cacophony of critters. So beautifully photographed! Happy Thanksgiving!
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