Where's the birdwatchers?

[cee-dee]

The feathered variety I mean!

I'm trying to identify some birds which have recently descended on the lake where I walk round every day.

They are around Mallard size, one, (obviously?) the male is bigger. It has a Black head and it seems mostly White underparts. The smaller ones (females?) have Brown heads and a lot less White.

When on the water they don't hold their heads up like Mallard but seem to hold their heads tucked down close to their body and they seem to keep a low profile on the water. They dive for food and are obviously finding plenty. It looks like they are catching fish, the lake was recently re-stocked with small fish but the birds keep well away from people and paddle to the opposite side of the lake if anyone walks round. I can't be sure that it's fish they've caught as they're usually too far away to be sure.

They don't associate with other birds, they don't care for the gulls and I've seen gulls diving at them if they've found food which makes them dive underwater to get away from the gull.

They keep so far away I can't see what the beak is like or see any other distinguishing marks. They all stick together and the numbers vary. There were nine the other day, seven yesterday but only three today. If there's any ice around, they don't come.

They look a bit like Scaups. I'll try to take some pics but the weekend usually has lots of disturbance round the lake so I might not get a pic until Monday.

[**bustysinclaire**]

It'll be interesting to see what you get on your lake CD,  we only seem to get about 3 species, plus swans. the one you describe I don't think I have seen around our lake.

The swans I posted a pic of last year have got none of their 8 with them now, I don't know how long they stay with their parents.

I'm waiting to see if they have more this year.

[fallen-archie]

My first instinct said Pochard or Scaup both are present this time of year. Do they dive or do they immerse their heads in the water to feed? Either way it could be one of those I have mentioned.

[cee-dee]

They dive and are under for about a half minute to a minute.

[**bustysinclaire**]

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wrote:

They dive and are under for about a half minute to a minute.

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Gods made some wonderful birds don't you think?   

For a duck that is clearly a, on the top of the water bird to be able to dive and stay under for so long must have been designed in a marvelous way. 

It poses some questions, for instance, does it actually hold its breath that long? or is it able to breath underwater somehow? or even has it got som kind of gill design like a fish?

What would you say CD?

[cee-dee]

I say please refrain from continually introducing a religious element in to replies.

[**bustysinclaire**]

Ruffled feathers?

[cee-dee]

No, hackles raised.

[**bustysinclaire**]

lol xx

The function allows the dog to appear larger, taller and therefore more intimidating than it is. This is a ''fight or flight'' response triggered by adrenaline, similar in some way to the function of fish that ''blow'' themselves up to three times their size to look much bigger in case of a fight.

[cee-dee]

Those birds were not there today.

[**bustysinclaire**]

No piccies then. 

I'm afraid I'm not very well up on duck species, I walked past our bit of lake today where there is usually an ubundance of them but not one.  The water was considerably dirtier and the current faster, a really grotty day here so perhaps that had something to do with it.

[margaret*e]

There was a family of ducks 🦆 on the field when my husband was walking the dog this morning.

[fallen-archie]

Another one to look up is the ferruginous duck, it also dives for food as opposed to dapping

[Anonymous]

Could they be Golden Eye Ducks ....

https://flic.kr/p/24fn4CP

[cee-dee]

That certainly looks a lot like them but the ones on the lake have not been holding their heads up like that. They've been keeping their heads tucked low down to their bodies.

I'll take my camera again today but Sunday is usually a day when all the other birds are wary, they won't come close. It's usually due to the increased disturbance of many more walkers with kids and loose dogs. If those birds also keep away from people (as mentioned by me before above), they might not come back because it's half term too.

On "normal" days, the Moorhens come to me as I walk over the car park and once I get through the gate, one or both of a pair of Coot come up the bank to within a couple of feet of me. They all stay well back on the water on "busy" days. I give the birds dry dog food not bread

[**bustysinclaire**]

Will we have some pictures to see I wonder. xxx

[cee-dee]

No, those birds weren't there.

[cee-dee]

Those birds weren't there again, there were lots of people walking round and a large portion of the end of the lake where those birds were feeding was covered in ice. They have been on another lake about 2 miles away so they might be there or have moved on?

[cee-dee]

Well now, I walked round and those birds weren't there. I went round again and two had arrived. I got reasonably close but as I got my camera out, they flew to the other side of the lake. They seemed about to get feeding again and a bloke with two dogs came down a bank and the birds started  to paddle off. The bloke went another way and they were about to settle and a couple came along the path with a frisky dog and the birds took off and flew away!!!

The pics are not very good, they were taken hand-held at full zoom.