Two ducks on Maxwell Park Pond

There is a bit of a story attached to this picture but first I have to confess that I took the picture yesterday.

While walking round the pond I spotted what looked like a larger than normal group of Tufted Ducks and I took a quick photo. Having decided to post a photo of the crocuses I didn't even download the ducks.

Walking with sis this morning she mentioned her walk in Maxwell Park yesterday. She met a man warmed with a pair of binoculars ....... he was looking for a Ring-necked Duck which had been spotted in Queens Park and Maxwell Park.

According to Google the birds are from North America and there are only around ten to fifteen birds recorded annually in the UK.

While we were having coffee I looked through yesterday's photos and there, in among the Tufties was the Ring-necked Duck. Had I known it was there I would have tried to take a better photo.

The ducks are quite similar but their head shape is different and the Ring-necked has a white band on its beak. As the name suggests the Tufted Duck has a wee tuft at the back of its head  and the Ring-necked has none.

We looked today but there was no sign of it.