Despite the cold weather finally starting to arrive here (although not as cold as the UK yet), I'm still managing to add new (none weather related) species to my wildlife lists! This week I've added Mandarin (female pictured) and Yellow-legged Gull to my bird list. I'm actually looking forward for the snow to arrive, I'm hoping it will bring in species like Redpoll, Fieldfare, Waxwing, Rough-legged Buzzard or something a bit rarer!!
Female Wood Duck and Mandarin can be difficult to distinguish! Thing to look out for are: the colour of the bill (Mandarins have a pale 'nail' on the end, whereas the Wood Duck's is dark), the spots on the flanks (Mandarins have rounded spots, whereas the Wood Duck's are much thinner) and the white around the eye (Mandarins have a lot less white, and usually looks a lot neater)
This is a Drake Mandarin (picture taken back at home in Wales). They are a lot more colourful than the females, and very different from the Drake Wood Duck.
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