What birds (are you/have you been) watching? What birds have been watching you?

[Serial_Apologist]

'Brood patch'?

Oh, and the other week I caught two birds mating on the path in front of me in the rain - wasn't sure what exactly I was seeing so I had to go near enough to disturb them, unfortunately.

I can imagine the post-coitus conversation began something like this:

Husband: "I know you said time was right and we had to try for one today; but just our luck we had an audience and it had to be raining!"

[jayne lee wilson]

A poster on another forum has been seeing a mystery bird on her local river. Described thus:

‘A goose-like bird, mostly black, with conspicuous white wing tips. They show very clearly in flight and as a v shape on its back when on the water. It's not much bigger than a mallard but the bill is quite 'goosey', pale orangey-pink with big webbed feet, same colour. The head is a messy mix of black/grey/white. I can't find anything with such prominent white wing tips. It's not a tufted duck, which I see often, nor anything like an oyster catcher which turn up very occasionally. Possibly it's an escape, we did have a black swan paddling about some years ago.’

Can’t find anything like it in my books.

Maybe a Muscovy? They hybridise with Mallards too, and can look pretty "messy"....

https://www.google.com/search?q=muscovy+duck+hybrid&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjj2NbtrKTpAhUW44UKHTzID14Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=muscovy+duck+hybrid&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzICCAAyBggAEAgQHjIGCAAQCBAeMgYIABAIEB4yBggAEAgQHjoECCMQJ1D8tQFYu_ABYKz5AWgAcAB4AIABOogB-QeSAQIyMJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1n&sclient=img&ei=plu1XuPtD5bGlwS8kL_wBQ&bih=812&biw=1440&client=safari

https://www.google.com/search?q=muscovy+duck+immature&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjpq8-crKTpAhUJ8IUKHQtIBZ0Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=muscovy+duck+immature&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECAAQQzoCCAA6BAgAEBhQ2aECWO6zAmD2uAJoAHAAeACAAUGIAeQDkgEBOZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1n&sclient=img&ei=_Fq1Xum9EInglwSLkJXoCQ&bih=812&biw=1440&client=safari#imgrc=yOUZ9iX3u91OOM&imgdii=UcK3vaiXSHYHnM

[eighthobstruction]

Maybe a Muscovy? They hybridise with Mallards too, and can look pretty "messy"....

https://www.google.com/search?q=muscovy+duck+hybrid&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjj2NbtrKTpAhUW44UKHTzID14Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=muscovy+duck+hybrid&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzICCAAyBggAEAgQHjIGCAAQCBAeMgYIABAIEB4yBggAEAgQHjoECCMQJ1D8tQFYu_ABYKz5AWgAcAB4AIABOogB-QeSAQIyMJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1n&sclient=img&ei=plu1XuPtD5bGlwS8kL_wBQ&bih=812&biw=1440&client=safari

https://www.google.com/search?q=musc...UcK3vaiXSHYHnM

...Goosander ??? Male, Female quite different markings)

[Vox Humana]

...Goosander ??? Male, Female quite different markings)

I don't think you could call either sex of Goosander 'mostly black'. The males always show a lot of white and the females look mainly grey and brown. I'd agree with Jayne. The description is pretty good for (some varieties of) Muscovy Duck.

[Serial_Apologist]

I don't think you could call either sex of Goosander 'mostly black'. The males always show a lot of white and the females look mainly grey and brown. I'd agree with Jayne. The description is pretty good for (some varieties of) Muscovy Duck.

That sounds more like some kind of Russian dish. I suppose it all depends on what you Putin to it.

[Vox Humana]

Straying from British birds, Mrs Humana and I have become addicted to this webcam at Sapsucker Woods, near Ithaca NY. We leave it running on the TV during the day (since it's more entertaining than a blank screen). I have noticed 18 different species so far, of which about 12 are regular, including four different species of woodpecker. There is always a lot of activity and variety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N609loYkFJo

[LezLee]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I’ve passed them on. Muscovy’s looking good.

[LMcD]

That sounds more like some kind of Russian dish. I suppose it all depends on what you Putin to it.

Can we let Len in on this conversation?

[Serial_Apologist]

Can we let Len in on this conversation?

I'm on the Trot at the moment, so why not!

[ardcarp]

Full Marx and a gold Tsar.....

[Serial_Apologist]

Full Marx and a gold Tsar.....

As good loyal Trotskyists back in the day, we thought the Morning Star pretty reactionary, re-naming it the Morning Tsar!

[Bryn]

As good loyal Trotskyists back in the day, we thought the Morning Star pretty reactionary, re-naming it the Morning Tsar!

The viewpoint of the herd I ran with was that the Socialist Worker was so named in honour of the one worker it might ever recruit to the cause.

[Serial_Apologist]

The viewpoint of the herd I ran with was that the Socialist Worker was so named in honour of the one worker it might ever recruit to the cause.

Hadn't heard that one before!

[LezLee]

My friend has managed to photograph the mystery bird

https://images.gr-assets.com/photos/1589013940p8/3902570.jpg

[Vox Humana]

My friend has managed to photograph the mystery bird

https://images.gr-assets.com/photos/...p8/3902570.jpg

Yes, that's a Muscovy Duck, but of the domestic/farmyard variety, i.e. well hybridised with Mallards and hybrid Mallards.