Can anyone help identify a mystery duck seen from the Tern Hide on Sunday afternoon ?Unfortunately no photo (just out of range of my i-phone!)
Size - similar to a gadwall (was in a group of them) . Overall impression low and long in the water. Short bill. Green head. Yellow flash behind eye . Hint of white above bill. Main body colour - grey/dark grey. But white at base of tail, and tail rear end was darker - almost black. .
Ornamental or hybrid??
Andrew
(ps nice sighting of a group of 7 snipe coming out of the reeds to join the green sandpiper. Made up for the wet conditions and the truant kingfisher. Hope the barn owl spotters had luck later in the day) )
Ornamental and hybrid!
This sounds like a strange duck we had a while back on the reserve. My best guess was that it was an escaped Baikal teal hybrid.
Cheers
Joan Childs, Site Manager
If it's the same bird discussed here: www.birdforum.net/showthread.php then scroll down for comments from Joern Lehmhus (expert on hybrid wildfowl).
My blog: http://mazzaswildside.blogspot.co.uk/
My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124028194@N04/
Well, that's definitely the bird I was meaning!
Joan
Yes that is the one I saw on Sunday - I had forgotten to mention the rufous chest but it comes out very well on the photos.
Gets around doesn't he (or she)?
Many thanks