Psilos Bird Photography |
Shoveler (Anas clypeata) |
A localised breeder in the summer this
bird is easier to find during the winter months where there is shallow
freshwater. Shovelers are surface feeing ducks with huge spatulate bills
feeding on a diet of small insects and plant matter sifted from the
water. The females are a mottled brown. During the summer months they
nest on the ground in lowland marshes and rough grassland adjacent shallow
water. Populations can be found around the Ouse, wash and Humber areas.
In winter, breeding birds move south, and are replaced by an influx
of continental birds from further north. |
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A breeding pair of wild Shoveler at Marshside,
Southport. |
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This is one of a group of five juvenile
Shoveler that were present at Marshside in early July 2005. |
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Shoveler flying against storm clouds at
the WWT London Wetland centre, October 2005 |
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