Shovelers

Yesterday I drove twenty miles to Bough Beech to see interesting wildfowl; this morning I walked down to the local lake and within minutes saw a small flock of Shoveler Ducks. These ducks can be found here in small numbers in the summer, but it is likely that these birds are migrants form the north. They soon took to the air when their extraordinarily large beaks become very apparent. They are surface feeders, sifting the water for small invertebrates and some vegetable matter. On the same stretch of water, the number of Pochard had increased significantly. This small lake would be absolutely idyllic but for the fact that the M20 motorway runs nearby. With your ears covered, you could easily be beside one of the many small lakes in the Algonquin. The waterside reeds could hold a population of Bearded Reedlings but, unfortunately none have been found there as yet.