CharleyBird
Well-known member
Highams Park lake, north London, this evening, 19 September 2020, we observed two identical ducks amongst the mallard, pochard, coots and moorhen:
Dark brown bodies extending up the back of the neck and head; a white chest and front of the neck that extended a very small amount around the bill; a dark grey/black ducks bill, not overly large in proportion but wide perhaps like a smaller shoveller bill. With possibly two white tipped wing/tail feathers, but not a long tail.
Larger than tufted duck, bit smaller than a mallard.
That's about the best I can do.
So overall a medium sized duck of two colours, plain dark brown body and head with no really obvious markings, pure white frontal neck, ducks bill.
We both got a fairly good look at the birds, my daughter has good eyesight; and we were using 7x42 in excellent light at about 6pm. We've checked through various bird books including the Collins without success.
She paused briefly at the long tailed duck because it has the dark brown and the white, but obviously nothing like these.
We have no clue. Maybe brother hybrids?
The lake gets all sorts... mandarin ducks, great crested grebe, cormorant, egyptian geese, little egret, little grebe.
Dark brown bodies extending up the back of the neck and head; a white chest and front of the neck that extended a very small amount around the bill; a dark grey/black ducks bill, not overly large in proportion but wide perhaps like a smaller shoveller bill. With possibly two white tipped wing/tail feathers, but not a long tail.
Larger than tufted duck, bit smaller than a mallard.
That's about the best I can do.
So overall a medium sized duck of two colours, plain dark brown body and head with no really obvious markings, pure white frontal neck, ducks bill.
We both got a fairly good look at the birds, my daughter has good eyesight; and we were using 7x42 in excellent light at about 6pm. We've checked through various bird books including the Collins without success.
She paused briefly at the long tailed duck because it has the dark brown and the white, but obviously nothing like these.
We have no clue. Maybe brother hybrids?
The lake gets all sorts... mandarin ducks, great crested grebe, cormorant, egyptian geese, little egret, little grebe.
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