Mallard Drake's Great Escape

Better in large: see the mud falling from its feet and body.

The light was very poor this afternoon, but I quite like the way that the (too) slow shutter speed that I was forced to use has resulted in a clean shot of the head and tail (as I panned with the bird) but with obvious motion in its beating wings.

This drake was taking its leave after a bitter mud-wrestling fight with another drake in a muddy puddle at the side of Mount Pond. I've never seen such a brutal scrap between ducks: they were biting and wrestling and holding each other down in the muddy water. Both ended up very dirty (you can see drops of mud falling off this bird) and this one then took shelter at the side of the pond to nurse its very bite-ruffled breast. I've uploaded a blurry dynamic and dramatic shot of them mid-scuffle to my blipfolio here.