Ruddy Shelduck #82

What a glorious day it turned out to be with wall to wall sunshine! 
After some jobs and shopping in the morning we went to Spike Island in the afternoon and were thrilled to see 4 Ruddy Shelducks feeding in the mud by the lock. There was also a fifth duck further along the river. They looked beautiful in the afternoon sunshine. 
It’s actually the second time in a couple of weeks we’ve seen this species as we had distant views of one at Burton Mere. Until this year I’d never come across this species before. They originate from Southern Europe, North Africa and South and Central Asia but there are some feral populations in Northern Europe which is where most of the UK birds seen are thought to have come from.