I like #2 better, Benjy...at rest seems to be the best way to shoot these birds...
I like your shots, Bernard. A stroke of luck to catch the heron in flight! These are not dissimilar to the Pacific Heron that we get down here - they also have dots/dashes down the front of the neck.
Mandarin Ducks are just beautiful, and this is a great shot.
Benjy...good shot of the Mandarin Duck family. I love these ducks -- they look like toy decoy and very colourful. Well -- at least I cannot quip that these are Peking ducks... The Chinese use mallards for that. You'll have to take these family home now that you have named them...