Pochard (male) Aythya ferina

I don't often see pochard and when I do, they are usually too distant to get a clear image.

I was a little more fortunate today as this one sat just within range and began preening. Every so often he paused to check his surroundings and This blip was during one such interlude.

Other action at the loch was much the same as usual, The great crested grebes were going through their courtship ritual but at about twice the distance of this pochard.

The great spotted woodpecker visited the same tree as on the 11th and posed at the same spot for several minutes. No point in offering you an almost identical blip.

A grey heron was posed at the water's edge but too obscured by twigs for a decent shot. The dabchicks also kept their distance.

There was one bird however that did come up close. Over half a dozen; but I refused to photograph them, let alone blip them as they were manky or mongrel mallards (crosses between wild mallards and farmyard ducks).

The water rail did not put in an appearance.

Full zoom (840mm) + 2.7x digital zoom and then further cropped during processing.