The Balance Beam

It was a remarkable afternoon.

I went to Birnie Loch Local Nature Reserve (Fife) in the expectation of snapping a small bird (robin, chaffinch, tit etc.) at the feeding rail(*).

Another couple were already there and were placing seed to attract the birds. Instead of the expected small birds, a pair of mallards demonstrated their agility and proceded to hoover up most of what had been provided.

More views of these mallards can be seen on my Flickr site and this one too.


(*) A feeding rail is formed from two tubular metal handrails welded together to give it a figure-of-eight cross-section. Seed is placed in the groove formed between the two rails and an observation bench is usually situated a short distance away.