During a very brief visit to Falmer Pond today I spotted a most unusual newcomer. It had distinctive dark green and white plumage, and a dive that was characteristic of the way a cormorant dips under water. it was clearly not a hybrid duck (my first though when I glimpsed it from a distance. Turns out it was a goosander (Mergus merganser). It’s possible I’ve seen this species before, though certainly not down here at the local pond. Definitely a rare sighting in these parts.
The light was shockingly poor and most of these were taken at ISO 3,200 (the final one at half that). I would have loved more time there to capture the diving sequence properly, but have to be content with what I did manage to get. It was a really pretty bird, and from what I can discover is only seen this far to the south of the country during the winter period. They are much more common in the north of England.
Here’s a few more photos.
It will be interesting to see if it is still there tomorrow, or whether it has flown on the larger watering holes. Little doubt though that these little guys will still be around.
Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
Andy
2 Dec 2014Good sighting!
In my neck of the woods, this bird is called a Common Merganser.
Words
3 Dec 2014Andy, I suspect it carries that name here as well (given its Latin name). A nice surprise. Not especially rare, but unusual on a small pond.
Darko
2 Dec 2014Definitely from a merganser family. BC mergansers look a bit different but the shape of head and beak are similar.
Words
3 Dec 2014Darko, we have various mergansers here as well. Generally though they stick to larger expanses of water. This one seems to be on its own.