A pair of Garganey had been on the fen pools here over the last few days. These are distinctly scarce ducks, only seen occasionally in north-west England.
The birds had been reported as being quite shy, often spending much of the time hidden in the reed-beds so the chance of getting a good view seemed slight. This was reinforced as I approached when meeting a friend who was just leaving who had only had a very brief view of one bird. This time, however, my luck was in because just a I reached the pool the drake had come out into open water where it was up-ending. After a while it was joined by the female.
Views were relatively close and it was surprising to notice how small Garganey actually are, only slightly larger than a Teal. Nearby Tufted Duck and Pochard looked huge in comparison.
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