>> They have a special trick to bring their food to the surface.
>> Two or more Shovelers will swim clockwise in tight circles,
>> with their bills busily working the water. The swimming action
>> causes the water to well up from below, bringing more food
>> within reach. I've seen as many as 30 of these ducks having
>> a real feeding-frenzy in one big circle. There is a very
>> precise protocol for entering and leaving the circle, without
>> disrupting the continuity. The one question that is burning
>> in my mind: Do the Shovelers in the Southern Hemisphere swim
>> counter-clockwise?
I remember seeing two Pink-eared Ducks feeding by swimming in a tight
circle at Jerrabomberra Wetlands in Canberra a couple of years ago. I'm
pretty sure they were also swimming in a clockwise direction!
..........................................
Dr Harvey D. Perkins
Divn Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Faculty of Science
Australian National University
Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
ph:(02) 6249 2693; fax:(02) 6249 0313
email:
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