Third time lucky! Present on Pearson's Flash 11.30-2.30pm at least. Sat on the bench it was directly to your left but became totally invisible when it decided to slip into the reeds. In terms of camouflage that leucistic plumage gives it a definite evolutionary advantage when hiding in the reeds! So it's obviously a wild bird !
Also a Green Woodpecker flew over Pearson's but no sign of any Mealy Redpolls in a fruitless wander about on Ince Moss landfill.
Tom, get your A -Z out and try to follow this ; Off the A49 you need the B5238 Poolstock Lane into Wigan. For Westwood, Scotman`s & Pearson`s I park at the church just off Tipping Street ( I`ve forgot the name of the church - DOH ! but you can`t miss it ) Turn left immediately after the Tippings Arms. Walk back across Poolstock Ln. where the roundabout is and up the bank onto the canal towpath. Walk right till you come to the 1st lock - go over it and after a short walk Westwood is on your left. I hope you see the bloody thing after all this ! ! Good Luck.
By the way, there are 3 other R -c Pochards knocking about the country ; one in Angus, one in Glamorgan and one in Northamptonshire - make of that what you will !
Bravo Rob , quite right too (I remember a White-headed Duck in Suffolk several years ago appearing rather pale and being put down to bleaching by the Mediterranean sun!), although you could have tried a decent loaf- Hovis would have done it non of that Netto rubbish (apologies to anyone who uses crappy Netto bread )
The bird was fully winged, appeared to be unringed and wary, not coming to bread. I put the slight leucism of the bird's plumage down to bleaching by the Mediterranean sun on its breeding grounds!
Naughty Woosey, naughty As for the Red-crested Pochard, unless there's anything to the contrary there's no reason not to 'ave it (other than your own concience of course ) so I'll add it to your county life list, Rob's already indelibly marked it onto his year list!
Robert female red crested pochards can be very variable with leucisim being a common trait. I havent seen any females in this area but have seen males at pennington flash a couple of times this last year. Whether they are escapees or not is anyones guess.
I've just done a search of Red-crested Pochard on the internet and was surprised to see several photos depicting fem/imm birds with a plumage tone similar to the Wigan bird. Can the plumage tone for this species be quite variable or are there 1 or 2 of these apparent leucistic birds wandering around the country?
Fem/immature Red-crested Pochard still present this morning. On the plus side the bird was fully winged, appeared to be unringed and passed the "bread test" unlike some of the Tufted Ducks it was consorting with which swam straight up to us to be fed, (the RC Pochard actually moved further away and was feeding naturally by upending). On the downside the bird displays Leucistic plumage with the primaries being a creamy white colour!!!!!!!!!!!
there was a female on westwood at wigan flashes on sunday according to some other birders it had been about for aweek or so but i just took it as a escapee so did not put it on sightings board jimmy meadows
!
Hope I didn`t confuse you Tom . 
, quite right too (I remember a White-headed Duck in Suffolk several years ago appearing rather pale and being put down to bleaching by the Mediterranean sun!), although you could have tried a decent loaf- Hovis would have done it non of that Netto rubbish (apologies to anyone who uses crappy Netto bread 
As for the Red-crested Pochard, unless there's anything to the contrary there's no reason not to 'ave it (other than your own concience of course 
) so I'll add it to your county life list, Rob's already indelibly marked it onto his year list!