4. Ducks in Australia

I actually saw more ducks, geese and swans than I thought that I would and, in fact was very very lucky. David knows all the places to go and we did! Places of especial interest included the University of Brisbane Agricultural  College which has a very good and highly productive lake. Apart from the ducks photographed and shown below, other species seen included Plumed Whistling Duck, Australian Wood Duck, Australasian Shoveler and Chestnut Teal, giving a total of no less than 14 species of Anatidae. The usual problem was distance and on one day the lack of decent light, very grey, whilst on one or two more it was the heat haze, the strictures also applying to the next section of this series of blogs which will be devoted to crakes, herons and ibises with one or two other loosely related species thrown in, which is why I make no apologies for starting with the White Pelican.

White Pelican

Black Swans

Magpie Goose

Magpie Geese with goslings

Pacific Black Duck

Australian Wood Duck

Grey Teal

Hardhead

Wandering Whistling Duck

Pink-eared Ducks (2 photos)

Whilst quite a few of the ducks were new species, if I had to choose I think that the Pink-eared Ducks shown above, along with the Wandering Whistling Ducks, were the stars in this group.