Manky Mallard*

What a horrid name for such a beautiful duck!

I went for a walk along the towpath of the Stort Navigation this afternoon. Since I came here last time a hide screen has been erected overlooking a water meadow near Pardon Mill. I joined a couple of birders there for a while but didn't stay long as there were only tweety birds in evidence.

I met a man with two chocolate Labradors who showed me a vid he had taken of a barn owl quartering fields beyond the lock. These birds tend to hunt in the same places day after day at the same time so I'll be checking those fields out later in the week.

I was captivated by this feral mallard, which was swimming in the stream next to the canal. She looks to me as if she is a cross between a mallard and a domestic duck, a Pekin for instance. I love how she is catching the golden hour light. 

*Manky mallard is a term used by birders for hybrid ducks.