An early trip to check out Castle Howard, despite the poor forecast. No sign of the Ring-necked Duck which was last recorded on 5th January. The Ferruginous Duck was present with 37 Tufties at the west end and after a while, started bathing, so I videoed it with my phone just in case it ended with a wing-flap; it did! The duck seemed to be unringed, but the wingflap showed it to be completely lacking primaries on its right wing, indicating it has likely escaped from captivity. How it arrived at Castle Howard is a mystery and it would be interesting to see if it can still fly. Seventy four Mandarins were lined up on the far bank, and the air was filled with the piping of displaying Teal, who seemed to be feeling very spring-like, unlike the dreary weather. Nine Little Grebes was also of interest.
Bathing Fudge
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I headed back to York to do some jobs and popped in to have a look over Hogg's Pond, Dringhouses, as my Dad said there was a few more Tufties on there. To my delight, among about 20 Tufties was a female Scaup, a nice local surprise. This pond has had a few good birds in the past, such as Slavonian Grebe, Common Scoter and Red-throated Diver, so is always worth a look if passing. Since the pond was bought by draconian new owners who are focussed on private fishing, there is no access and the pond is viewed only through the gaps between houses from the road bridge. With better access and more coverage, I am sure this pond would continue to turn stuff up.
Female Scaup.
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