Shameless Yearticking 1; BLEEPing Scaup

The Bowling Green Scaup [assorted] having vamoosed for 1/1, I was forced to resort to Means to get the required yeartick.

Fortunately, a nice male had turned up at the [semi] traditional site of Decoy pond lake at Scabbot Newton Abbot. Unfortunately, my dear employers don't approve of anything like reason when it comes to the festive season, so I was back to work on the 2nd. Really.

So, afternoon of the 3rd and I zipped over there post work to see what i could see. What could I see?

Not one sign of a Scaup, that's what.

I gave it too long in the hope it was asleep in a hidden corner, and eventually got up to 22 Tufted Ducks. [Also a nice Kingfisher and a sinensis Cormorant - which fought a short but very sharp battle with a big Eel]

Drat and double drat.

Some pictorial things...

Scaup In Disguise:

"A quick dab of paint and some 

spare feathers fools any nosey birder!"

Decoy.

Can you see the ducks??

Cormorant, race sinensis.

[Gular angle circa 95°]

Eel doesn't let being swallowed stop the fight

..Which went on for several minutes.

Tufted Duck: "When d'you think he's going to give up?"

Scaup disguised as Tufted Duck:"I hope it's soon, the paint's running on my right side....!"

A few year ticks were lurking in the woods - most notably being some lovely Marsh Tits - but to be honest, I was too brassed off to properly enjoy them. Even the Treecreeper.

Hmm.


Oh well, if at second you don't succeed, and all that, eh?


Be Seeing You...