Well, I didn't get a photo and I think I'm usually OK with IDing a tufted duck. But they were slightly larger and one had a white circle under it's eye. It was also diving for some considerable time. But I didn't spend enough time looking tbh!
From your description Natalie, I'd probably suggest Goldeneye, with the one with the white under the eye being a male.
Well, I didn't get a photo and I think I'm usually OK with IDing a tufted duck. But they were slightly larger and one had a white circle under it's eye. It was also diving for some considerable time. But I didn't spend enough time looking tbh!
Im new to this and on a recent visit to Old Moor I got excited at first glance thinking Id seen a scoter, but turned out to be female pochard. Could this be what you saw?
Went for a stroll with a friend and to see if I could find the red throated diver!! Was not successful but saw two (what I thought were) tufted ducks but on closer inspection...I would want to ID as common scoter. But my confidence was low...any thoughts?!
Hi Natalie, dont worry, a simple description of basic plumage details would probably clear this up in this case. Neither a m/f Tufted Duck look like a m/f Common Scoter. Or did you take a photo?
Went for a stroll with a friend and to see if I could find the red throated diver!! Was not successful but saw two (what I thought were) tufted ducks but on closer inspection...I would want to ID as common scoter. But my confidence was low...any thoughts?!
The wigeon and the pintail still viewable from the hide. The wigeon is hanging round with the teal on the pond while the pintail is on the open water by the gulls.
The long-staying sub-adult Yellow-legged Gull present on the nature reserve viewable from Rakewood Road at 4pm, also the eclipse drake Pintail viewable from the hide, showing very well, plus 2 Wigeon and 39 Teal
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Sub-adult Yellow-legged Gull on the green canoes moored with the boats between the dam wall and the old sailing club - found at 8:30am and then flew onto the nature reserve around 9:20am where it was present on the marshy area until 2:30pm when it flew off - photos courtesy of Mark Shuttleworth
Also 1 Yellow Wagtail, c100 Lapwings, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Mute Swans, 1 Great Crested Grebe
2 Common Sandpipers this morning were the first of the year here
4 Goosander 1 Redshank 3 Swallow 2 Sand Martin 3 Willow Warbler 4 Chiffchaff 3 Lesser Redpoll
After a tip off from Mark Rigby that an Osprey had just flown north at Castleshaw Res'rs, Andrew Huyton and I hot footed it up to the Lake and were amazed to see it appear within 5 minutes of arriving at 1405. It circled high over the Lake before heading North - I love it when a plan comes together!
Drake Shoveler still present today
A photograph of a Black-necked Grebe taken here on Sunday has been posted on a local Facebook site - unfortunately the bird was not seen by any of the local birders and there was no sign of it today