Last Friday Dave Smith found a stunning drake Garganey just outside the Butts Hide where it was so close that Dave was able to record its weird croaking rattle of a call. This is our only summer visiting duck and it is always a treat to encounter one. Since then it has been a wee bit elusive and when it does show it is usually out shovelling around in the middle of the Target Pools...
However, yesterday afternoon it plopped itself down right in front of Tony O'Brien and put on and superb display in front of him completely oblivious of the fact that Tony is not really a birder and did not know what it was that was flaunting itself before his lens. My smiles when he showed me the images told him that it was special and he knew it was something he had not seen before.
What resulted is the best series of an active Garganey I have ever seen. Nice pictures are usually full frame and paddling which to be honest is a bit dull - these are anything but...
Simply stunning...