Mallard on ...

.... the Teith. The river was very calm today and the sky perfectly mirrored in the water.

The Mallard is the ancestor of most domestic duck breeds. Mallard pairs tend to be monogamous, but paired males pursue females other than their mates.

Like other ducks, Mallards shed all their flight feathers at the end of the breeding season and are flightless for 3-4 weeks. They are secretive during this vulnerable time, and their body feathers molt into a concealing "eclipse" plumage that can make them hard to identify.

The Mallard LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive was built at Doncaster in 1938 at a length of 70 ft and a weight of 165 tons, including the tender.. Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley her innovative aerodynamic body allowed her to reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour and she is the holder of the official world speed record for steam locomotives at 126 mph.

Anyone who has visited The National Railway Museum at York cannot have failed to have been impressed by seeing her in her striking LNER garter blue livery with red wheels and steel rims.