Mallards can be found in almost every water reservoir in our country, from large lakes to little urban channels, water ponds. In ponds in urban areas, especially in winter, they come near you keeping themselves just at your fingertips, when being fed. Speaking of feeding water birds, it ought to be remembered that birds shouldn't be given leftover bread or rolls, etc. That’s for several reasons. Firstly, for the fact that such food is harmful for them. The ingredients contained in our bakery products destroy birds’ livers and are not their natural food. If you want to feed them, a good alternative would be seeds which are healthy for them, but unfortunately you will have to buy some extra (corn, grain). Secondly, feeding birds with leftover bead for a longer time, has a devastating impact on the water reservoir, causing its degradation. Phosphorus contained in bakery products in the spring will be ideal breeding ground for algal blooms, which colonies will make the water “sticky-green”. Consequently, the water will become untransparent. Aquatic plants, deprived of light, will start to die, not producing life-giving oxygen that is necessary for the other inhabitants of the reservoir. The process of decaying initiated this way will fill the reservoir with hydrogen sulfide. These are, in short, the effects of uncontrolled bird feeding, whose final effect will be degradation of the reservoir and depriving animals of their natural habitat. Untreated wastewater discharges into the natural environment, which have taken place during the past years, adding even a greater amount of phosphorus-containing compounds into the environment, which, in various ways, get into Polish lakes, have lead to the situation, where majority of these water reservoirs need reclamation works or at least taking some preventive measures to stop lake degradation. That’s just a little digression when speaking of bird feeding. Going back to the mallard and its size, it has a wingspan of about a meter, and a weight not exceeding 1.5 kg.
Last minute news 04/2016
Undoubtedly this species has been neglected. All pictures I put on this site were taken by accident, furthermore there is no sound recording of this bird that I would make by myself, although it is so common in Poland. This time I took my best photos of the mallard while I was waiting for red-necked grebe. So it was reason for redecorating the gallery.
Last minute news – 03/2019
It was impossible not to record the voice of mallards during the shooting of the northern pintail. There were dozens of them on the city pond. Several photographs taken at that time also went to the mallard gallery, which was rebuilt.
Last minute news – 05/2022 - Hungary
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