![\"shoveler](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/shoveler-0703-ron-dudley.jpg\")
1\/250, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nI photographed the young duck on June 29 on Red Rock Creek at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Montana.\u00a0 Its mother and a few of its siblings were swimming near a bridge as I passed over it.\u00a0 I base my ID on the appearance of the adult female and photos taken by others of Northern Shoveler ducklings.\u00a0 Since I\u00a0often struggle with\u00a0identifying\u00a0female ducks I can’t be 100% certain that my ID is correct but I’m pretty sure\u00a0that it is.<\/p>\n
The devotion of female shovelers to their eggs and young is impressive.\u00a0 In studies, 90% of shoveler remains found in predatory mammal dens during nesting season are females, which suggests that they were\u00a0attempting to protect their nest or offspring (only the female incubates and cares for young).\u00a0 Interestingly, females often deliberately defecate on their eggs when the nest is threatened which prevents at least some mammalian predators from eating the eggs.\u00a0\u00a0I always marvel at these types of behaviors and wonder just how they evolved.<\/p>\n
In this image I like the eye contact, the film of water on the breast and the water droplets along the back that almost seem to be floating in air.\u00a0 And then there’s that cuteness\u00a0factor…<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Occasionally (very occasionally) I can’t resist the cuteness of a duckling and post it to my blog. It hasn’t happened for a long while now but this little guy put me over the edge.<\/p>\n