As I was giving a presentation to Bedford RSPB group last night, I thought a few hours birding at Tring Reservoirs would be interesting. Upon arriving at Startops at midday, I was met by a birder telling me the long staying ring necked duck was not present, a shame as this would be a lifer. I wandered along the bank, noting several red crested pochard, tufted duck, pied wagtail, coot, pochard, cormorant, mallard, shoveler, teal, couple of wigeon and gadwall. I spent time scanning all the tufties with the scope and eventually came across a bird that was different. It was resting, with head tucked into its wings but appeared to show white in the grey side patch. I stayed on this bird for a while and eventually it awoke, showing a bright white band across the bill, no tuft and an even more obvious white area on the side panel. A ring necked duck: a new bird for me!
I then wandered around the reservoir as the bird moved closer to the bank, firing off poor quality record shots in grey light. A black and grey duck on grey water with a threatening grey sky was not the best but it would have to do. Managed a few more shots before the cold and breeze got the better of me, so off to Ivinghoe Beacon where I hoped to come across a ring ouzel. No luck, just a rather late wheatear and little else, before I headed off to Bedford for the presentation on The Algarve.
My other lifers this century: western sandpiper,(Cley) spectacled warbler (Burnham Overy Staithe), parrot billed crossbill, (Holt) surf scoter (Holkham)
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| red crested pochard pair |
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| mute swans in the few minutes of sunshine |
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| ring necked duck! |
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| On the back of the camera, the silver on the leg looked as if it could have been a ring! That would have spoiled the day. |
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