Scaup family on the Avon River

Have been watching these little New Zealand native diving ducks for some years. The council has had a different plan over the last few years with less spraying and clearing of the river banks and these ducks are now present in numbers on the river.

However they still have some years where they raise very few ducklings. this year there are at least two families on 'my" stretch of the river.

they are very cute to watch as they dive from birth and when they are so little they go down and then pop up like corks.

If they are near the bank and the water is clear you can see them swimming along under water and popping up again.