Mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos )

Today is the day we planned to turn round.  So our plan was to continue along the Trent and Mersey canal until we reached Horninglow Basin, turn there, and come back to the Water Park.  An alternative would have been to turn round at Shobnal.  Just after we passed the winding hole at Shobnal we saw a notice telling us there was a boat festival taking place.  Great!  From there almost to the basin there were moored boats, often "breasted up" i.e. one tied to outside of the moored boat.  If we had met a boat going the other way we couldn't have passed one another in some places.  Also when passing moored boats you are progressing "at tick over" which means very slowly to avoid pulling the moorings out.

Eventually, we made it back to the same mooring as we had started from in the morning.  I went for a wander round the "mere" taking "big Bertha" with me.  Big Bertha is Clickychick's 100-400mm lens.  I took all sorts of shots but have settled for this pair of Mallards.

Waterfowl aren't easy during the summer.  Once the breeding season is over many/most breeds go into eclipse.  This generally means they moult into a more or less identical plumage to the females.  Some are even flightless for a while.  Now the drakes are starting to moult out of eclipse and in another three weeks or so will be back in their normal plumage.  The blip shows the male just behind the female and he has started to moult.