Today my Mum, Alice and Melee went for a walk. I definatly didnt get to go for the walk but I wished I could but I had to do jobs around the house at that time. They came back with 3 feathers and Alice of course said she saw 3 of these birds, Paradise Shellduck. There were 2 males but 1 female. My guess is one of the males is a fledgling of the parent Paradise Shellducks flying in the sky with its mother and its father. The female Paradise Shellduck has a white head while the male has a black head. Its a real pitty it is not in the top 22 but by some time I am sure it is to be the top 10 of NZ animals. Just to keep u updated on them, a time I last saw them or one of them was when I was riding down the 2nd paddock. I went home and got binoculars to observe this one. It was the female / mother paradise Shellduck. She is so beautifull at a distance. If I could take a picture of her then I would have but I didnt. I wanted to observe her in the best possible way I could, that was not disturbing her by flash photography but by observing her through binoculars. Paradise Shellducks are only found in New Zealand, mainly the South Island. If u get a chance and see one take a good look at the female and u can see how far she is from gorgeous than the domestic cat. She is a real beautifull sight to see if u see one in the wild or stuffed, particulary not stuffed but alive in her own habitat. Here are 3 pictures, the first is of a Paradise Shellduck female in her real beauty, the 2nd is of the Paradise Shellduck chick being held by human hands and the 3rd is of a male Paradise Shellduck visiting the beach. Hope u like the three photos ok. I hand picked them especially just 4 u ok if u want to know.
