Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
Clicked by Dr Salil Choksi at Bhandup, Mumbai, Feb ‘20
The Spoony Dabbler!
It’s a widespread winter visitor to the marshes & wetlands of the Indian subcontinent. It migrates over the snow-laden peaks of the Himalayas on the Central Asian flyway to escape the harsh winter of Eurasia, where it breeds in summer.
A large colourful duck, with an oversize ‘Donald Duck’ bill which is uniquely spatulate (spoon shaped); the male has an unmistakable dark head, white breast, vividly chestnut flanks, & a green speculum. Female is a dull buffy brown.
It’s a dabbling duck, & a filter feeder. When the bill is swept from side to side; comb-like structures along the edge sieve out crustaceans, insects, seeds etc from the muddy soup of shallow waters. Apart from surface feeding, it also feeds by upending & also by diving underwater.
“The secret of success is to be like a duck, smooth and unruffled at the top, but paddling furiously beneath “- Bill Cosby
This is what the photographer, Dr Salil has to say about himself ,
‘Myself a pediatrician, born, brought up and practising in Aamchi Mumbai had a deep fascination for birds since school days.
Long years of professional education and setting up practice kept my passion for birds dormant.
For the last 20 years, I have found work – life balance; travelling frequently across remote habitats of India and abroad, seeking to find birds and photograph them – with the wish to open the world of the birds to everyone.
I am also a Marathon runner and an avid trekker.’
भारतीय उपखंडातील दलदलीचा प्रदेश आणि पाणथळ जागांना हिवाळ्यात भेट देणारा, मोठया संख्येत दिसणारा हा एक पर्यटक आहे. हे युरेशियाच्या कडाक्याच्या हिवाळ्यापासून बचावण्यासाठी हिमालयाच्या बर्फाच्छादित शिखरांवरून मध्य आशियात येतात . उन्हाळ्यात यूरेशियात त्यांची पैदास होते.
एक मोठे रंगीबेरंगी बदक. त्याला डोनाल्ड डकसारखी चमच्याप्रमाणे दिसणारी चोच असते . नराचे लांबूनही दिसणारे गडद डोके, पांढरी छाती,तांबूस पिंगट बाजू आणि हिरवट चोच असते. मादीचा रंग काहीसा फिकट तपकिरी असतो .
आपली चोच या बाजूकडून त्या बाजूकडे हलवत चोचीच्या मागच्या बाजूस असणारे जाळे वापरत उथळ पाण्यातून हे क्रस्टेशियन्स, कीटक, बिया इ. पृष्ठभागावरील आणि डुबकी मारत पाण्याखालील खाद्य मिळवतात .
