|
While having a picnic lunch on the bank of the River Murray at
Murray Bridge yesterday I observed some odd behaviour by a single Pacific Black
Duck.
It was swimming along with only its beak and a little of its
head out of the water; none of the body or neck was visible. It then dived under
water grebe style and swam under water for some 8-10 metres before only
the head and beak emerged again.
A few seconds later it dived again for some 8-10 metres. It did this at
least 3 times before coming up to a normal duck position with most of its body
out of the water. A quick shake of the feathers and off it swam quite normally
again.
All of this happened some 10 metres in front of my wife and me about 3
metres from the bank. The water would have been about a metre deep.
Happy birding,
Trevor Hampel
Murray Bridge
South Australia
| 