This Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) was first noticed at the end of August, hanging out with the Mallards on the former Glamorgan Canal at Forest Farm Nature Reserve. I didn’t manage to get there to see him at the time and, as I hadn’t seen him reported since then, I thought he must have moved on. Then, last Thursday evening, I saw a photo of him, taken the previous day, on social media, and thus my Friday adventure was decided.

You might think a bird like this would easily stand out from the Mallard crowd – and he should have – but I must have walked right past him when I first arrived at Forest Farm, and then I walked the full length of the Glamorgan Canal, and the feeder canal before finally noticing him as I was heading, dejectedly, for the train. Doh!

You may wonder about the words ‘in eclipse’ in today’s blog title. When they’ve finished breeding, male Mandarins, like many other duck species, moult their colourful breeding feathers, making them resemble for a time the plainer brown females of their species. This moult usually renders them flightless, meaning they need to find a relatively safe place to live while their feathers regrow (which means I should’ve realised this drake would still be at Forest Farm – lesson learned!). As you can see, this handsome little chap is perhaps half way through the eclipse process, with some but not all of his usually vibrant plumage already obvious. I’m planning another visit soon to check on his progress. And, if you’re wondering what he will look like at the end of the eclipse, take a look at my blog from October last year, A drake Mandarin.