A mother Mallard Duck pays close attention to her five little ducklings, making up her family, as they explore the shallow waters along the shore of Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's, Newfoundland Labrador. These baby Mallard ducks are very self sufficient in swimming and feeding on insects shortly after they hatch but stay close to their mother for protection and waterproofing.
Female Mallards are paired up until they lay their eggs after which time the male leaves and goes his separate way. The male species has no part in feeding or caring for the family.
After an incubation period of approximately twenty-seven or twenty-eight days the baby ducklings hatch and look like small soft and fluffy balls with feet. They are then taken to the water's edge to get the feeling of where they will be spending a majority of their life. Anywhere from fifty to sixty days after they hatch, they develop feathers large enough for flying. ... continue below the picture...
... A female Mallard has a light brown plumage while the male is a fair bit more colorful with a green head, yellow bill and a black behind.
Mallards are considered to be wild ducks and breed throughout different regions of North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. They have also been seen in Central America and the Caribbean and have been spotted in many areas of New Zealand.This particular family of Mallard ducks were visiting Quidi Vidi Lake while the 2007 Royal St. John's Regatta took place in Newfoundland Labrador. Many people got to enjoy the ducklings but the mother was quite protective to ensure that her young were safe.
Mallard Duck female, Anas platyrhynchos, with her young ducklings on Quidi Vidi Lake during the 2007 Royal St John's Regatta, Quidi Vidi Village, St John's, Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, Newfoundland Labrador, Canada.
Technical Information:
I photographed this photo with the digital SLR camera model Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, aperture of f/7.1, exposure time of 1/125 sec. on ISO 100, as always I used a original Canon Lens, the focus lenght for this picture was 38mm.