Half way through December a juvenile Scaup (Greater scaup Aythya marila) appeared on the Taff, near where the river runs in to Cardiff Bay. In our WhatsApp group, several birders regularly reported seeing the bird but do you think I could find it? One day I even resorted to photographing every single female Tufted duck in the area so I could check my images at home – the two birds look quite similar – and I still didn’t get it.
Then, finally, on Christmas Eve, on my third – or was it my fourth? – attempt, I found it, swimming along quite happily amongst the Tufted ducks and Coots, in the company of a female Pochard. That was a very grey, gloomy day, as many of our days were in December, so you can perhaps imagine my delight when, yesterday, though it was very cold, we had blue skies and sunshine, and there it was, the previously tricky little Scaup, paddling towards me from across the river, as if to show me that it’s really not elusive at all.
