Mandarin ducks on local pond

The female looks rather fine - but the male KNOWS he is handsome!!

Here's another one...

Karen B Suffolk

Smart looking birds, we have a small lake nearby where they gather in winter and the odd pair stay on to breed.

Pete

Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can

Properly jealous here Karen, I've still yet to see male mandarin, lovely bird. Thanks for sharing

Lovely photos Karen and as you say the Mandarin ducks are very striking looking birds, especially the drake with his very exotic colours and fancy plumage especially when he puts the "sails" up. We are lucky enough to have a very large group of mandarins on our local parkland here in Cheshire and I believe the highest breeding numbers in the north west of England. There were two dozen around today on the mere but many more sheltering mostly at the edge of the reed-bed/woodland area and on a wooded island on the far side of the mere. It's quite thrilling to see them and today they were in the company of Goosanders ! Not sure our Mandarins are as confiding as the ones you saw as they scarper the minute they see a human being lol

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Regards, Hazel 

"Each kindness shown to birds or men is sure to flutter back again" 

Lovely photos Karen, and the same as some of the others, I've yet to see a mandarin duck, male of female

Mike

Flickr Peak Rambler