This nice picture of the duck shaking off her early morning cobwebs by the bank of one of Watermead's lakes was captured ead by Randal Cheney.

The Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), probably the best-known and most recognisable of all ducks, is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand (where it is currently the most common duck species), and Australia.

It is strongly migratory in the northern parts of its breeding range, and winters farther south. For example, in North America it winters south to Mexico, but also regularly strays into Central America and the Caribbean between September and May.

The Mallard and the Muscovy Duck(3](4] are believed be the ancestors of all domestic ducks.

The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies to the mallard.

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