Pink-eared zebra duck..

At Lake Gwelup it wasn't just that it was the first time I've seen the pretty pink-eared ducks, sometimes called the zebra duck because of its brown barred flanks.. it was seeing pairs locked together head to tail spinning round and round. At first I thought it must be some dizzying mating ritual but it turns out it is the way they feed, filtering and scooping up the disturbed organisms in their huge square-tipped grey bills. Apart from the circles created in the water it's a little hard to imagine this feeding ritual, luckily P was with me and he put together this short, and I do mean short.. 5 seconds :) video here so you can see the motion..

Above you can see that there were more than one pair, I have heard that if there is a large flock of pink-eared ducks, rotating pairs often spread far across the surface of the wetlands. What a sight that must be.. might go back and try for that shot! Then whoosh they were off! Happy weekend, it's going to be a wet one here.. take care and stay safe... 

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