Tuesday 21 February 2012

Greater Scaup

Last year I missed the only Scaup that had been noted in our area in 2011, a female that was present for 1 day. A week and a half ago Josh Jones found a first-winter drake at a local reservoir whilst waiting for the gull roost to materialize, but I was unable to get to the site that evening. When I was able to get there the bird had disappeared! I thought that my chance had gone, but on Sunday this bird was found on a local nature reserve at Eye Green, just outside Peterborough, but inside the PBC recording area. I was there like a shot and managed my first views of a Scaup in our area for two years.

Number 114 for the year.







The Scaup (as it is more commonly known in the U.K.) is a winter visitor to our shores, with at least 7,500 individuals around our coastline, although each year a few pairs attempt to breed in northern Scotland, which have, as yet, been unsuccessful.

It tends to be a coastal species in Britain, being seen either on the sea, or on lakes near the sea. It does occur on reservoirs and freshwater lakes inland, although they are a much scarcer bird here.

A bird that is very similar to the more common Tufted Duck, indeed the Scaup does interbreed with this species and produces hybrids, which can cause identification confusion. The drake has a black head with a greenish sheen and no tuft, with a grey back and white sides and a black tail. The duck is dark brown with a variable pale patch at the base of the bill.

38 comments:

  1. Lovely shots John.
    I've only ever knowingly seen the female round here; not very often, either.

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    1. Hi Keith,
      Thank you. No, they are pretty scarce inland, I have only seen 3 in the Peterborough area and this is the first drake!
      J

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  2. Well done John and good pictures. Your year list is well ahead of mine!

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    1. Hi Mike,
      Thank you. My list is doing quite nicely, but still a few `easy` ones to get!
      J

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  3. Nice shots!! Boom & gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  4. Hi John, lovely photos of this beauty!

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  5. Great shot and a beautiful duck. I do not know the difference between the Lesser and the Greater Scaups.

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    1. Hi Eileen,
      Thank you. The Lesser Scaup is a rare vagrant to Britain and is different to the Greater Scaup in that it is smaller, has a small crown peaked at the rear, and the sheen on the head is blue/purple as opposed to the green of the Greater Scaup. The vermiculation on the back of the drake is darker on the lesser as well.
      J

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  6. A lovely bird to capture John..it's not the end of Feb and you already have a fantastic list..

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    1. Thanks Andrew,
      Hopefully, a few new migrants will arrive in March which will help keep the list ticking over!
      J

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  7. Lovely shots of our infrequent visitor John.
    I missed last years, but got the year before (I think).

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    1. Hi Roy,
      Thank you. Last years wasn`t the easiest to get, she didn`t hang around! I think the one before was at Ferry Meadows, so your local patch! :)
      J

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  8. Great photos! Glad you were able to see the Scaup. We have a bunch of the Lesser Scaups visiting right now.

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    1. Hi Tammy,
      Thank you. Lesser Scaups are a lot rarer in the U.K., I think we only get about 10-20 a year,if that!
      J

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  9. Can you imagine Mr Scaub thinking "I fancy a Tufted Duck tonight"? That's not rhyming slang.
    Click here for Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

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    1. It didn`t cross my mind that it was rhyming slang Bazza! ;)
      J

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  10. Ever since I joined WBW it's been a fascinating learning experience. I'd never known that there there were so many varieties...in ducks especially. This is new to me. S-c-a-u-p...funny name too!!

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    1. Hi Nature Rambles,
      There are thousands of different birds out there, just waiting to be heard of!
      J

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  11. Nice shots John, Scaup are a bit sporadic in Kent these days.

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    1. Hi Alan,
      Thank you. Yes, they are a real rarity in the Peterborough area, hence why I have had to wait a while to get to see one here!
      J

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  12. Scaup! A name to strike fear in my heart!!! Although in my case it was the Lesser Scaup which has been at Draycote Reservoir a couple of times in the last few years and which I have spent hours hunting for...to no avail :-( And as for trying to find one at distance among several hundred Tufted Ducks...nightmare!

    Anyway, congratulations on your much better luck with the (Greater) Scaup. You had some very good views and some lovely photos too.

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    1. Hi Jan,
      I can imagine the pain, I have felt it on many an occasion!
      Thank you very much.
      J

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  13. That is one happy duck. Nice catch!

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    1. Thanks Susan, yes, he does look happy doesn`t he! ;)
      J

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  14. Nice piccies John. I've seen several dodgy Scaup type Aythya hybrids at my local patch this year. But the past few days some friends have found a 'proper' one so I'm hoping it'll stay long enough for me to get over there!

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    1. Hi Jerry,
      Thank you. There are a few about and they are good to see, helps you see the differences in the `true` birds! Good luck with getting your `own` Greater Scaup.
      J

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  15. Number 114 comes with great pictures. That is a very impressive count Sir. Very entertaining!

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    1. Thanks Springman,
      Still a way to go until the end of the year, so who knows what my last tally will be?!
      J

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  16. Hi there - splendid pictures of a splendid bird. First one of these I found for myself was swimming up the River Tyne with a determined look on its face!

    Not too many down here mind you!

    Stewart M - Australia

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    1. Hi Stewart,
      Thank you. No, I don`t suppose there are that many in your neck of the woods! ;)
      J

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  17. Plenty of excitement here as a lesser Scaup was spotted on Newquay boating lake on Tuesday. Lovely to look at.

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    1. Hi cuby poet,
      Yes, I saw that bird reported and have seen some photos of it, nice bird, maybe it will fly east! ;)
      J

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  18. Not only seen but some great shots as well.

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  19. Thanks John,
    Yes, it did show incredibly well, didn`t seem to be bothered by my presence.
    J

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