Mandarin Duck

It's been a cold foggy day today, not a day for going out or bird watching, also not a day for going to the dentist and having a wisdom tooth out but Mrs L had to, so I volunteered to accompany her to get a blip to provide moral support.

I thought I'd come back with a foggy and/or frosty blip, but as I was wandering through the grounds of Hertford Castle, in among the Mallards looking to be fed was this rather gorgeous Mandarin Duck. In Britain they are the descendants of captive-bred ducks which escaped or were deliberately released and now we have a feral population of around 7,000 birds.

With the blip done I returned to the dentist to provide the appropriate moral support and drive Mrs L home. She's just finished her tea and is engrossed in University Challenge, she seems fine at present, but the anaesthetic is still to fully wear off.

Even more gorgeous in Large.