Restrained beauty.

Mrs. Mallard has beauty which is commonly underrated.
At this time of year Mr. Mallard struts around with his irridescent green head and neck. A fine sight but so common that we sometimes don’t notice them.
But Mrs. Mallard has a more refined taste as seen here and when you look at it closely it is surely very attractive.
I had an hour at he Bird Reserve this morning. I could not find anything unusual that was within camera range. But Blip has taught me that in those circumstances you can still get a good shot by zooming into something which is quite common. My bird book estimates that in winter the UK has an estimated three quarters of a million pairs of Mallards. Moreover they are very tame and easy to approach.