York Merg

 

Tim Jones found this handsome male Red-breasted Merganser at North Duffield Carrs yesterday, and it fortunately stayed long enough for me to shoot down at lunchtime to see it. After a short but anxious drive, I arrived to find Chris Gomersall watching it from Geoff Smith Hide - phew! The bird was asleep, with punk crest askew most of the time, indicating it had flown a fair way the previous night. A couple of times he awoke and gave a bit of display to rather non-plussed Teal and Tufted Ducks - although I was quite impressed. The bird stayed all afternoon and was seen to depart high to the north late afternoon. 

Mergs have been really rare in the York area in the last decade with no twitchable birds, so this one was very welcome and was a York tick for all those who saw it. Well done Tim!

Also present were two possibly three drake and one female Scaup, the Lesser Scaup-like Aythya hybrid and a new hybrid, possibly Ferruginous Duck x Pochard. A couple of Chiffchaffs were singing and the local Redshanks were displaying, giving a very spring-like feel to the site.