 |
| Ring-necked duck |
A colder, cloudier day than yesterday and the sparrows dropped anchor in the garden the minute I refilled the feeders. The blue tits and a long-tailed tit didn't stray far either. I think the blackcap's moved on, I'll have to wait a few weeks for our breeders. The male goldcrest's still about, it was singing from one of the trees by the station this morning.
I decided to go over to Alexandra Park for another look at the ring-necked duck. I'd be killing a few birds with one stone: I'd be getting some exercise; all that pavement walking would knock the mud off my boots; I'd be getting a refresher on a plumage that's new to me; and I could go to Old Trafford and get a shop done from the Asian supermarket and Marks & Sparks.
A fairly uneventful journey through Stretford and Chorlton: lots of magpies flying around with sticks in their beaks, woodpigeons display flying and pigeons strutting and cooing on the pavements.
 |
| Ring-necked duck with tufted ducks |
The ring-necked duck was on the pond at Alexandra Park, in the company of a few tufted ducks (there were about half as many tufties as last time I visited). It was nice to be able to review the identifying features. There's no way I'd mistake it for a tufted duck or scaup: the soft mid brown of the plumage immediately makes it stand out. The shape of the head, particularly the slope from the peak behind the crown down to the end of the beak is unlike anything else I'm likely to see round here. And the pattern of the head is surprisingly like an immature mandarin duck. Finally, the beak; the pattern should be the most obvious thing but I'm most struck by its shape: relatively narrow at the base then a flare out then back in again to that huge back nail at the end. It reminds me very much of some Victorian pen nibs I've got that were designed to hold a reservoir for Gothic script. For a while she climbed out of the water to preen, giving me the chance to see the contrast between the warm brown flanks and the cool, spotty pale greys of the belly. A bonny little bird.
 |
| Ring-necked duck with mallards and tufted ducks |
 |
| Ring-necked duck and female tufted duck |
 |
| Ring-necked duck |
 |
| Ring-necked duck |
 |
| Heron on its nest |
A heron was sitting in the best on the island with no sign of its mate anywhere.
Walking through Whalley Range at Old Trafford I was struck again by how many more goldfinches than house sparrows I was seeing and hearing.
No comments:
Post a Comment