The black smudge in the heavily cropped picture above is in fact a drake Common Scoter (95) at Brooklands Lake today. You might see it better if you left click it, but i'm making no promises.
I had a text from Jerry Warne to say it was there at 11.30 this morning but Carol and I were at Shoreham doing a walk for the day. I didn't expect it to still be there when I finally got down to the lake at about 4 o'clock this afternoon but it was, and so was Ken Browne from Halling, on the same mission as me.
We waited some time, hoping that it would come closer, but no chance, it spent most of it's time dozing, but still managing to stay right in the middle of the lake, even in the stiff breeze. How do they do that? The only time it really put it's head up to show the yellow patch on the top of it's bill was when an aggressive Coot had a pop at it for no particular reason, they have their uses don't they!
I don't understand what the Scoter is doing here as they are sea ducks but it looked happy enough and you never know it might stay for a day or two. Thanks for the text Jerry, much appreciated.
6 comments:
Phil ,
Well , that's an Easter you won't forget in a hurry , Hoopoe , Red Kite and Common Scoter .
You couldn't write it could you ?
Well done .
Hi Phil.
It was good bumping in to you today. You seem to have got a better shot of the Scoter than I did, you must have clicked at just the right moment, well done. Another one for the list.
Well done on the Scoter Phil. You are doing well at the moment :)
Thats a bonus bird Phil! Just 5 more for the ton now, 115 -120 for the year this year?
Hi Phil, great inland record and we're neck and neck agian ;-)
Common Scoter is a brilliant inland record - I wonder what made it fly all that way along the Medway?! I popped to see it a lunchtime after recieving a text!
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