Hatfield Moor......

Hatfield at Sunset.

1st winter female Lesser Scaup hybrid.

Made the short journey to this excellent NNR today to pay the reported 1st winter female Lesser Scaup a visit and within about ten mins she showed at incredibly close range almost mugging visiting birders for any sandwiches or bread they had.What a confiding and appealing little duck and my first female after seeing two drakes previously at Barton Pits,this bird may well be a genuine vagrant,as they often come to bread in their native North America and Canada and the Slimbridge bird which is also present there at the moment is also quite tame,so it may be just the fact they have never encountered humans before,instead of people jumping to conclusion that they are escapees.Also seen today on our all day visit included a nice flock of 44 Mealy Redpoll,which showed brilliantly in excellent light conditions allowing a great chance to study them,but we couldn't find any of the reported Arctic's from previous days,despite a few other birder's trying to persuade us to the contrary.Other minor highlights included a lovely female Green Woodpecker,single Brambling,single Whooper Swan a juv. Peregrine and 227 Pink-footed Geese.An excellent day around this vast NNR.


It has now come to light that the duck at Hatfield is now thought to be a Lesser Scaup hybrid due to head shape and bill pattern!.