Ben Macdonald
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31 JANUARY:  GOOD DUCK LUCK

2/1/2018

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​14:00-15:15:   Moreton Hide, Chew Valley Lake, Avon (51.328739, -2.616169)
A second visit to a quiet Chew Valley Lake provided several head-throwing goldeneye ducks in full display, and after some eye-straining telescope work, a dapper drake Lesser Scaup was eventually found at the GPS point over the far side of the bay, diving regularly and loosely associating with a small group of tufted ducks.  A smart visitor from North America, lesser scaups are now regular each winter at a tiny number of southern British lakes and pools.
 
16:00-16:30: Noah’s Lake, Shapwick Heath, Somerset (51.157262, -2.811770)
With no one having seen the Ferruginous Duck for two days, yet there being two birds on this stretch of the Avalon Marshes, I whisked myself out to Noah’s Lake, where on the battered water thousands of wigeon were calling, three great white egrets were loafing, and a bittern stood in the open at the back of the lake.   There were very few pochards, the ‘carrier’ species for the duck, so I walked back to Ham Wall.
 
16:40-16:50:  Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset (51.151661, -2.780074)
My duck luck was in today in a big way.  At dusk, as shoals of starlings streamed overhead, I scanned a group of pochard in the fading light and quickly found a smart drake Ferruginous Duck, with its distinctive domed head shape, sharp white rump and chestnut colouration.  
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    This diary updates my efforts to see as many British birds in the UK as possible in 2018, using IOC taxonomy.  The list itself is viewable at www.bubo.org and will be updated more regularly than this blog.

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