Mandarin

Our Figgate Park Mandarin Duck is back. He'd spent a few days before Christmas dragging people to the park; remarkably he returned last weekend. Which I didn't find out till Monday, the day I started the new job which kept me away from the park all week in daylight hours. Gah!

Fully expected him to have flown off by the time the weekend arrived, but wahey! Might well get on here tomorrow as well - got my mum here for the weekend, and we're going to have a walk through the park in the morning before breakfast down in Porty.

Part of me loves that it draws people to our cracking wee park (given I'm on the Friends committee it's a source of pride); but another part of me wants everyone to bugger off so I can have the bird to myself, as I'd usually have down there. 

The Mandarin seems to be challenging the Mallards, so with upcoming mating season he might have found somewhere to bed down for a while. Fingers crossed.

Had a walk out in Gifford later in the day, which despite there being some pheasant shooting going on, was nice and relaxing. Not so for the deer in the extras, one of a couple who, spooked by the shooting, had belted across the river to our left and out in front of us.