Just before lunchtime I was sitting down watching the rain falling heavily on my living room window. My phone rang and it was Colin Green and he sounded quite excited. He and Pete Asher had lost their senses and were out birding in the rain at Brascote Pits. They had spotted a small 'merganser' and thought it might be a Hooded Merganser. I looked at the rain on the window and then my wife and said 'hold the dinner I'm off to help Colin and Pete'.
On arrival I could sense something was wrong. True to form it had flown from its original location and they had lost it.
Luckily Colin re-found it on one of the other pools. It was distant and appeared wary - good sign. It then completely let itself down by swimming directly towards us and came as close as it could. With better views we confirmed the identification.
Lovely duck, but sadly not the 200th genuinely wild bird for SW Leicestershire I'm afraid.
On arrival I could sense something was wrong. True to form it had flown from its original location and they had lost it.
Luckily Colin re-found it on one of the other pools. It was distant and appeared wary - good sign. It then completely let itself down by swimming directly towards us and came as close as it could. With better views we confirmed the identification.
Lovely duck, but sadly not the 200th genuinely wild bird for SW Leicestershire I'm afraid.
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| Female Hooded Merganser |