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Psilos Wildfowl Photography |
Northern Pintail Page 2 |
The female Pintail is a mottled brown, ideally
camoflagued when she is sat on the nest. 7-9 eggs are laid and incubated
for 22-24 days. The ducklings fledge at around 42 days old. Whilst the
males call has a drawn-out 'greee' the female has a series of deep quacks. |
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During May 2005 I found a female Pintail
at martinmere with one duckling and he was doing very well. One week
later the duckling still appeared to be doing well but his mother was
lost and nowhere to be found. |
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One week later and the mother is back!
I can only assume that she must have been laid up on the bank in the
shade somewhere as the two birds appeared still very close. This little
duckling really is a fiesty little guy, no wonder he has made it this
far! |
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During February at Martinmere I have
watched the Pintails carry out their courtship displays. Often it involves
just the male displaying to a female but later in involves the pair
of them (Photos below) Birds will often pair up before they migrate
north to breed as this saves valuable time once they start to nest. |
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