A sub-adult drake Red-crested Pochard has been regularly taking bread at the Apex park in Burnham-on-sea. Now, this usually points to a captive bird that has escaped & is living life in the wild. However, this individual has no rings on its legs (usual in captive wildfowl collections) & the wings are full & not showing signs of being clipped. I personally would have thought it highly unlikely for a ring to come off on its own, but may have been removed by the owner prior to deliberate release. The other alternative is that it is a remarkably brazen wild bird from the continent or even the Cotswold water park, where there are quite a few. Whatever its origins are, it is still a beautifull duck.
A visit to Greylake RSPB reserve on the levels produced a bucketfull of Common Snipe, close to the hide where they probed the soft mud for invertibrates. Their striking markings provide a cryptic camouflage when amongst the sedge & reeds. Seldom are they seen close up & in photographic range, out in the open.
An opportunity not to be missed.
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