The Victorian recreational duck shooting season started this week. Half a million native waterbirds are expected to lose their lives to this archaic, brutal and unnecessary ‘sport’. No graphic shots in this post, just some cute ducklings.
This little treasure was a very new hatchling. I could only see it above the grass when it stretched its legs and its neck. Using a shallow depth of field blurred the foreground and background, enabling the duckling to stand out in the photograph.
It was super cute in springtime but ducklings fledge at about eight weeks old and once they fledge they are old enough to face a barrage of shotgun pellets during Victoria’s Season of Shame. It is sickening, shameful and 100% unnecessary. Duck numbers have plummeted as shown in the details records from the Eastern Australian Aerial Waterfowl Survey by Professor Richard Kingsford of UNSW. And each year non-game species are also shot, including Red-necked Avocet, Freckled Ducks, coot, cormorants, raptors, pelicans, Musk Ducks and many others. Along with most Victorians I dread this time of year. My heart goes out to all the wildlife that will be impacted, to all the residents who live with the ongoing horror, to all the rescuers searching for injured birds and all the vets donating their time to help.
I shared this wood duckling on my facebook page along with information about the 500,000 native waterbirds expected to be shot on our wetlands over the next three months, almost 120,000 are expected to be wood ducks. The post received hundreds of comments which is unsurprising when about 90% of Victorians want the ‘sport’ banned and about 0.2% like to defend their right to shoot native waterbirds.
Once again my images are being used to raise awareness. Please support Geelong Duck Rescue – working to end duck shooting, Coalition Against Duck Shooting and Regional Victorians Opposed to Duck Shooting Inc.
I was pretty staggered by the number of shooters who (very rudely) told me that the Australian Wood Duckling, in the first photograph, is a Pacific Black Duckling. It’s a worry when a shooter can’t identify a clear photograph of a species. Shooters are supposed to pass a Waterfowl Identification Test which is often criticised for being too simple. Shooters aren’t supposed to shoot towards the ground (though I have seen it happen) and most ducklings have fledged by March. I’m not suggesting that shooters target ducklings before they fledge, heaven forbid.
I love this shot of the blackie duckling as it stretched up and waggled it very tiny wing buds. It looks very different to the wood duckling in the first photograph!
Please be mindful if you’re out and about in Victoria as there are no warning signs at most of the thousands of wetlands where shooting is legal. Members of the public can only be near the water at these wetlands after 11am until two hours before sunset or they risk being fined, or getting a fright.
Take care out there, and happy birding, Kim
~ Facebook page Kim Wormald – lirralirra – 10K+ followers
~ Facebook group Ethical Bird Photography
~ Etsy – prints via me at Kim Wormald lirralirra
~ Browse prints and gifts Lirralirra Shop or contact me directly
Leave a Comment