{"id":11917,"date":"2018-11-19T06:30:49","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T11:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=11917"},"modified":"2018-11-19T13:00:07","modified_gmt":"2018-11-19T18:00:07","slug":"take-5-bottoms-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-bottoms-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Bottoms Up!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Waterfowl exhibit a whole host of different feeding behaviors, like diving, grazing, or foraging. The most common, however (or at least the most commonly recognized) is “dabbling” or “tipping”. Dabbling ducks like the Mallards pictured below will simply “tip up” in shallow water\u00a0to forage on the aquatic plants along the bottom. Swans, geese, and teals also display this behavior, although their varying neck lengths allow each species to access food at different depths. It’s a perfectly practical adaptation but one that can certainly be amusing to watch.<\/p>\n

Here are five photos of Mallards dabbling away for your amusement. All of these photos have been submitted to our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest. Bottoms up, duckies!<\/p>\n

\"Mallards

Mallards \u00a9 Glenn Rifkin<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Mallards

Mallards \u00a9 Nicole Mordecai<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Mallards

Mallards \u00a9 Kris Bates<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Mallards

Mallards \u00a9 Keith Gerrard<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Mallards

Mallards \u00a9 Denise Cote<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Waterfowl exhibit a whole host of different feeding behaviors, like diving, grazing, or foraging. The most common, however (or at least the most commonly recognized) is “dabbling” or “tipping”. Dabbling ducks like the Mallards pictured below will simply “tip up” in shallow water\u00a0to forage on the aquatic plants along the bottom. Swans, geese, and teals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":11924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[214,213,83,84],"class_list":["post-11917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5","tag-ducks","tag-mallard-ducks","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/11\/1456GlennRifkin4943_1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-36d","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10709,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-mallards-on-the-move\/","url_meta":{"origin":11917,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Mallards on the Move","author":"Ryan D.","date":"April 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Ducks are a familiar sight in our urban and suburban parks, having adapted over time to thrive in developed areas.\u00a0There are dozens of species of ducks, but thanks to Robert McCloskey's popular children's book\u00a0Make Way for Ducklings, most folks are familiar with the Mallard species, the most abundant waterfowl in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/03\/1293HienNguyen4387_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/03\/1293HienNguyen4387_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/03\/1293HienNguyen4387_fi.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15924,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-get-your-ducks-in-a-row\/","url_meta":{"origin":11917,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Get Your Ducks In a Row","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As spring gives way to summer, young ducks that were but mere hatchlings a few weeks ago are growing rapidly. Mallard ducklings remain with their mother after hatching for about 50\u201360 days until they can fly on their own. Mother Mallards keep their fluffy little ducklings together for protection against\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mallard mother and ducklings \u00a9 Hien Nguyen","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/1293HienNguyen4387-2-Copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/1293HienNguyen4387-2-Copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/1293HienNguyen4387-2-Copy.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/1293HienNguyen4387-2-Copy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7122,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-wood-ducks\/","url_meta":{"origin":11917,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Wood Ducks","author":"Rosemary","date":"March 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The winter landscape may not offer the widest spectrum of colors, so seeing a jewel-tone wood duck is always a welcome sight.\u00a0Some of these birds have hung around in Massachusetts all winter, and\u00a0others are just now returning to the state\u00a0from warmer places. Unlike most of our waterfowl, the aptly named\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Larry-Warfield-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Larry-Warfield-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Larry-Warfield-2013.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12207,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-winter-ducks\/","url_meta":{"origin":11917,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Winter Ducks","author":"Ryan D.","date":"January 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter is a wonderful time to see some colorful characters around your neighborhood\u2014namely wintering waterfowl. In late fall and winter, the majority of waterfowl species return to wearing their bright and more colorful breeding plumages and with more than 25 species of ducks, geese, and swans that regularly spend the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Harlequin Duck \u00a9 Carol Duffy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/01\/2982Carol_Duffy17397.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/01\/2982Carol_Duffy17397.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/01\/2982Carol_Duffy17397.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/01\/2982Carol_Duffy17397.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12970,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-hooded-mergansers\/","url_meta":{"origin":11917,"position":4},"title":"Take 5: Hooded Mergansers","author":"Ryan D.","date":"August 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Thinking about taking a radical step with your next hairstyle? You could take a cue from the Hooded Merganser, a common but striking duck with an over-the-top (pun intended), fan-shaped, collapsible crest atop their heads. Adult males have bold black-and-white crests while females sport a cinnamon-colored version of the 'do.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hooded Mergansers (male) \u00a9 Nathan Goshgarian","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/07\/208NathanGoshgarian6243-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/07\/208NathanGoshgarian6243-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/07\/208NathanGoshgarian6243-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/07\/208NathanGoshgarian6243-2012.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11751,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-migrating-waterfowl\/","url_meta":{"origin":11917,"position":5},"title":"Take 5: Migrating Waterfowl","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Fall is a great time to see a\u00a0variety of waterfowl as they pass through Massachusetts on their way to their wintering grounds. Brant, Surf and White-winged Scoters, and Red-breasted Mergansers are best viewed along the sea coast, while Northern Pintails, Green-winged Teal, and Ring-necked Ducks are more likely to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green-winged Teal \u00a9 Matt Filosa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/3417Matt_Filosa16547.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/3417Matt_Filosa16547.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/3417Matt_Filosa16547.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/3417Matt_Filosa16547.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11917"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11938,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11917\/revisions\/11938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}