Ring-Necked Duck - Middle of Nowhere, Fife

While working away in Scotland this week, I've tried to do a bit of birdwatching inbetween surveys. Today, after finishing early, I drove towards the middle of nowhere in Fife hoping to connect with a female Ring-Necked Duck which had apparently been on a small pool for some time. Having missed this American species quite a few times now, I didn't have particularly high expectations!

Upon arriving, I parked in a convenient layby and headed down a track. There was a larger lake here, which I briefly scanned, but it was the smaller pond (a glorified duck pond really!) which supposedly held the bird. Viewing the pond from the track, I noticed a few Pochard, Tufted Duck and Mallard, and another duck swimming alongside a drake Pochard - the female Ring-Necked Duck. Typically, after finally breaking my curse with this bird, it didn't show well at all, remaining hidden behind branches and reeds for the entire time!

Why do all of my American ducks have to be female!

On the larger lake, there were lots more ducks, including big numbers of Goldeneye. A few Red Kite, a single Sparrowhawk, and 50+ Pink-Footed Geese also flew overhead.

With a little bit of time left to kill, I made the short trip to Cameron Reservoir. It was a fair walk, but the weather and scenery were great. I passed 14 Whooper Swas feeding in a sheep field adjacent to the reservoir, with 10 Roe Deer and 2 Brown Hare nearby. On the reservoir itself, there were big numbers of ducks including lots of Goldeneye, Pochard and Goosander. I soon picked out the duck I was most interested in though - a drake Smew. Unfortunately, the bird kept its distance on the opposite bank. I've seen a few female Smew before, but this was my first male - they're definitely a shout for the best-looking duck!

Distant but distinguishable Smew!
There were quite a few Whooper Swans on the surrounding farmland

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