Some scaups have been seen regularly at Farmoor Reservoir this autumn, and having failed in two attempts to find them amongst the similar looking tufted ducks, I decided to have a third attempt today.
The brightness of the autumn sunshine meant I needed to cross the causeway to get round to a position where I could have a better view of the ducks but despite scanning the ducks through my binoculars I still could not make out any duck with a large patch of white surrounding its beak which would identify it as my target species.
Wondering what to do next, a birder ( who turned out to be the author of a birding blog that I read regularly! ) was coming towards me and I enquired if he had seen the scaup. He told me he had not yet found them but they had been reported there about an hour earlier and it was unlikely they would have flown off in that time. I joined him and we continued to look, walking down the western side of both reservoirs which were the favoured areas but without success. However he did point out a hybrid greater/lesser scaup. As his more experienced eyes scanned the shapes of the mostly sleeping ducks, he also picked out a possible culprit but we could not verify it while its head was tucked in.
We continued walking and looking, mystified that we hadn't been able to locate it, and then he went back to his car while I went to return to my own vehicle in the car park the opposite side of the causeway. Meanwhile the driver of another car which had passed us had stopped and got out a telescope and was joined by the birder who I been searching with earlier. Then I got a shout and quickly hurried over to where they had been able to confirm the identity of the sleeping bird, it was in the fact the scaup. I peered through the telescope and saw it for myself as it lifted its head exhibiting its large white blaze but as it was right out in the middle of the reservoir no photos were possible.
It was however another year tick, and if it continues to stay, then there is a chance I might be able to see it again, as it has been known to be much closer in.
Other birds seen included:
swan, mallard, wigeon, pochard, tufted duck, cormorant, great crested grebe, little grebe, grey lag geese, grey wagtail, common sandpiper.
cormorants on a still lake
Farmoor F1
lesser x greater scaup
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