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Pacific Black Duck with blue and green wing patches
The lighting this morning was perfect for catching the beauty of this Pacific Black Duck making her morning ablutions. I think this bird is a female, because the crown of the head and the feathers on the back are brown rather than black.
She spent many minutes preening, immersing herself in the water, then preening again.
It was fascinating to see how the colour of her wing patches changed, depending on the lighting and the angle. In the first photo above, the patch is green. Here it’s purple:
In this wing stretch, it’s as if she has different colours on each wing, one green and one blue:
Common name: Pacific Black Duck
Scientific name: Anas superciliosa
Approximate length: 45-60 cm
Date spotted: 25 December 2023 (summer)
Location: Manly Dam park, near Sydney: 33°46’35.0″S 151°14’50.2″E
The quiet of the duck
It’s early morning on New Year’s Day in the park. The air is still, the crowds haven’t yet arrived. The ducks putter around as only ducks can do.
I’m at Manly Dam park near Sydney. On a quiet morning, the dam water reflects the hills and forest all round. The oranges, browns, and reds in this scene aren’t seasonal, though they do bring autumn to mind. They show the path of a recent fire — a hazard reduction burn conducted to reduce the risk of more damaging fires as summer draws on.
Among the ducks were this Pacific Black Duck:
A male Australian Wood Duck:
A female Australian Wood Duck:
And a female Mallard with a gorgeous yellow-green beak:
For me as watcher, the meanderings of the ducks enhanced the quiet of the early morning scene.
Oh yes, and there’s a Brush Turkey on the right too!
Swimming across the sky
Reflections at Manly Dam.
In the background you’ll hear Australian Ravens cawing, Wattlebirds croaking, and Whipbirds whistling.
Pacific Black Duck
Common name: Pacific Black Duck
Scientific name: Anas superciliosa
Approximate length: 45-60 cm
Date spotted: 25 December 2015
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’55.0″S 151°15’19.7″E
Eurasian Coot
My bird book calls this coot dumpy. An interesting fact is that the coot has flattened toes rather than webbed feet for efficient swimming.
Common name: Eurasian Coot
Scientific name: Fulica atra
Approximate length: 35 cm
Date spotted: 25 December 2015
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’55.0″S 151°15’19.7″E
Sydney Birder 