• A Day With a Duck 2012

    Muscovy duck bird rings 1 – 20, photography Peter Mennin

  • A Day With a Duck 2012 - Ely Red Data Book, digital print

    Ely Red Data Book, digital print

A Day With a Duck

Commissioned by artist Helen Stratford, as part of A Day With a Duck, Babylon Gallery, Ely

My contribution to A Day With a Duck continued my interest in birds, nature conservation and species protection. Much maligned species, including those which are regularly branded as pests, have been central to past exhibitions. Here I turned my attention to Ely’s Muscovy ducks and the long running debate around their presence in the city. Numbers have declined considerably in past years, mostly due to human intervention.

The Ely Red Data Book references the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species, which lists the status of species at risk of extinction. Muscovy duck bird rings 1 – 20 was fabricated by a company who manufacture identity rings for birds, which are regularly used for conservation purposes. Both works highlights the Muscovy ducks’ plight in a city where they are both loved and loathed.