I missed the Long-tailed Duck last week when the tide was extremely high at the Hayling Oyster Beds. Through the week it appeared that it had taken up residence in the main lagoon and was showing very well from the shore. Having finished the morning jobs I returned to Hayling in the hope that this time I would be able to see it. Long-tailed Duck has been difficult all year, I made several visits last winter to the same area and with the the miss last week it has been a bit of a bogey bird. The number of reports in Hampshire over the last few years have also been down.
Leaving the car park there were a few waders on the edge of the tide line in the bay, one Black-tailed Godwit, several Redshank and Dunlin and this single Grey Plover that was bathing.
The Oyster Beds could not look any different today from last week. The tide was at its lowest and where last week there was all water, today it was mud. Shelduck and Brent Geese fed in the pools while Oystercatcher and Curlew could be seen amongst the rocks.
I made my way to the furthest lagoon and walked around to the old bus shelter. There was nothing to be seen on the water. I met a couple who gave me a good description of the duck I was after, they had seen it earlier but now it was gone. I wasn't surprised the bogey bird was still behaving as it has all year.
I walked around to the far side of the lagoon and scanned the harbour, several Brent Geese close in and four Great Crested Grebes. It was also nice to see returning Red-breasted Mergansers distantly in the harbour with at least two males amongst quite a few red heads.
I stuck it out, scanning the water in what seemed to be forlorn hope. After an hour I decided to call it a day and I would have to try another time. As I turned to walk back to the car, out of the corner of my eye I saw something dive. I stopped and waited and after a while a female Long-tailed Duck appeared.
It had almost appeared out of nowhere and was quite close to me.
The couple I met who described the bird to me referred to a "question mark" shape on the head, I can see what they mean.
As it dived and surfaced I noticed two things, the bill was becoming covered in weed and it was also covered with mud.
I can only assume it was rummaging at the bottom of the lagoon.
There was also particular behaviour when it was about to dive. She would bob her head three or four times and then lay in the water. This would either result in a dive or a return to the bobbing before she actually dived.
The waters in the lagoon were not that choppy, but you can see how low she sits in the water, which in open sea makes them very difficult to pick up.
Long-tailed ducks breed in the Arctic, on tundra pools and
marshes as well as coastal islands. They spend the winter on the sea, often
forming large flocks. They can be found far from shore, but will visit coasts,
including around the UK. Here long-tailed ducks tend to be most numerous around
Scotland, and down the east coast of northern England. They're typically found
in sheltered bays and sometimes harbours.
After spending time close to me, she drifted away to a more distant spot where she started to preen. I waited for the inevitable wing flap and wasn't disappointed.
Fully preened she then returned to area closer to me where she started diving once more.
Clearly Long-tailed ducks dive for food and they are capable of reaching
depths of up to 60 metres. They have a varied diet, which includes molluscs
like cockles and clams, ragworms, crustaceans, small fish, and sometimes even
fish eggs. Winter flocks are usually very active, with birds regularly diving
or taking off and flying short distances.
It was pointed out to me that with this bird being so confiding it was a shame it was a not a male
Long-tailed ducks look very different throughout the
year. Adult males can always be recognised by their incredibly long, black
tail. In autumn, males are largely white, with grey and black on the body and
wings. They have a mostly white head, with a dark smudge on the cheek, and a
dark beak with a pink band across it.
Over winter they develop more patterning on the face, with a grey-brown
patch surrounding the eye. In summer, the breast and face become black, but
they still have a grey-brown patch around the eye. They also develop rich brown
feathers on the back, and can look really smart.
Females are brown and white. They have a much shorter tail
than males and no pink patch on their blue-grey beak. In autumn and winter they
have a white head with a dark cap and cheek patch. In summer, the dark markings
become more extensive, covering most of the head.
Juveniles are mostly brown when they're young, but by autumn look a lot like
adult females. Young males are usually whiter than females and quickly develop
the distinctive pink patch on the beak. There is no sign of the pink patch here, so confident that this is a female.
One other feature of the bill is the serrations at the back of the mandibles, clearly used for the consumption of crustaceans.
The Long-tailed Duck was formerly known as an Old Squaw, this name has since been dropped as it was considered offence to the native Americans. I have seen large flocks of Long-tailed Duck on Lake Erie in Canada and along the rivers and lakes in Iceland, but these were the closest photographs I have ever taken.
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something fly in and perch on the long island. Closer look revealed a male Sparrowhawk.
The Long-tailed Duck had drifted away once more and it was time to take in the build up of clouds over Hayling.
A sharp shower of rain produced a superb rainbow.
The duck had now made it to the far side of the lagoon and was close i. I decided to walk there, but of course as I arrived it had moved away. With the change in light aspect it now appeared a little darker.
A Kingfisher flew past and settled on the rocks on the beach but did not stay long. In amongst the bladder wrack on the mud a Greenshank was snoozing.
Curlew usually are shy and unapproachable, but this one in a small pool seemed quite happy with my presence.
A single adult Mediterranean Gull flew over the lagoon, a reminder that this site in nationally important for the pre breeding gathering of these beautiful gull in March every year.
With threat of more showers and the duck moving away once again I opted to head back to the car. As I reached the Billy Trail, looking east the clouds were once again spectacular, even more so when shown in black and white.
Success at last and my 200th bird of the year, and amount I will be hoping to significantly better next year.
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