Feb Day 10 Photo Challenge

Day 10 challenge was to capture a duck species in flight so i went early to the coast as the High Tide was at 10.15. This is good time to get the ducks in flight as look for food on the banks as the sea washes all the bits in. The Widgeon are beautiful and make a lovely image in flight or on the water.

Key information

The wigeon is a medium-sized duck with a round head and small bill. The head and neck of the male are chestnut, with a yellow forehead, pink breast and grey body. In flight birds show white bellies and males have a large white wing patch.

Wigeons breed in central and northern Scotland and also in northern England. Many birds visit the UK in winter from Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia. With large numbers of wintering birds at a few UK sites, it is an Amber List species.

What they eat:

Aquatic plants, grasses, roots.

Measurements:

Length:45-51cmWingspan:75-86cmWeight:500-900g

Population:

UK breeding:400 pairsUK wintering:440,000 birds

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Author: blackie1957

I am 63 years old and and since a boy have had an interest in wildlife and in particular birds. I help my Dad with the rearing of young finches and other birds. I had many small birds as pets and as i got older and joined the Military i purchsed my first Camera, and fold out Kodak. Over a 22 year period i enjoyed many countries outside the uk and observed many species of birds. When i left the military in 2000, i bought my first digital camera a Canon 450D with a Tamron 70-300 and started my journey on capturing images of birds and animals. I quickly learned that there was a lot more to getting a good image of a bird, so i started to research the best settings for my camera in order to capture a better image. Over a 12 month period i realised that needed to invest in a better camera and lens and after research bought a Canon 50D and a 100-400 Lens. It was 2013 when i really got to grips with the setup and came across a lovely Short Eared Owl. From that meeting i started to concentrate on Owls as they fasinated me. From Canon to Olympus i recently jumped ship again to Sony. The variety of birds i have captured over a 10 year period is vast and at present i have a wildlife hide in lancashire where most of my images are captured. View all posts by blackie1957