Hello everyone, I spotted an unusual duck today on my local fishing lake in north London. Unfortunately I only had my phone to take a long range picture, so the quality is poor. Black stripe on the back of the head, bluish bill, clearly smaller than the mallard. Could it be a ringed teal out in the wild? I would love to hear what you think.
Certainly looks like that species, but the chance of it being wild rather than an escapee seems remote.
Thanks Cris. I agree: from what I can see, they are not on the British list. I think there are a couple of local wetlands centres it may have come from. Now wondering whether I can claim to have spotted it.