Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)

I saw this duck also at St James Park, and it's another one of those birds that looks really similar to ones we have in Canada. I know that I can't assume that these birds are the same, so I wasn't going to bet any amount of money that this was a ring-necked duck, but it does look similar. I've actually only seen a ring-necked duck myself once before, and it was an immature one at that, so I definitely didn't think I could ID this bird with a lot of confidence. My caution was prudent. I popped this little guy into my Merlin app and learned that he is a tufted duck. It's hard to see in this photo, which is the only photo I was able to snap of this guy, but you can indeed just make out the little tail he has coming off the back of his head. I love ducks with blue bills, too!

April 2021

Having gone for a cycle to Dulwych Park to see magnolia trees (didn't see but one!), I was at least able to find a new more birds to photograph. There were several nesting pairs of tufted ducks, so it was great to be able to get photos of the females as well, as you will see in the slideshow below.