There has been a ring-necked duck showing at Ravensthorpe Reservoir in Northants for a while now and so after lunch on Friday I decided to pack up work and visit there. I'd never been before but found the visitor's car park closed and parked with two others on the verge just outside. I'd seen two birders as I crossed the causeway and planned to join them, but before I did, they came and joined me - apparently it was easier to see the target bird from the car park than it was from the causeway. I set up my scope and had good views although a bit into the sun (behind clouds) making photos a bit in shadow despite altering the camera settings.
We enjoyed the bird for a while and another birder joined us and the two original guys went to leave - they relayed that they had also seen a mandarin duck in the smaller section on the other side of the causeway. The ring-necked duck fed and floated further and further towards the causeway and eventually we relocated there to see if the light would be any better - it was, and I was a bit happier with the photos.
I crossed the road to the other side of the causeway and although it took a while, I eventually located the male mandarin on the far edge of the pool (maybe 250m away) - it emerged from under the trees and soon disappeared into the low branches again. There were numbers of goldeneye on this smaller pool but none I could see on the main water.
The ring-necked duck had floated off and was heading back to where I had seen it originally and so took my leave and made for home - early for once.
Year List: 126
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