Tufted Ducks nest on the smallest of farm ponds so to see a family party swim past me the other day was not too out of place. But wait a minute. That lead drake isn’t a Tufted at all. It’s a Scaup.
Now an inland Scaup in July in the UK is not unknown but it is quite scarce. A breeding Scaup, all be it with a female Tufted Duck, is not unheard of in the far reaches of Northern Scotland … but this is Norfolk!
I haven’t been to this small private patch of water for over a month so I’m unsure if the Scaup is the father. It may be the drake Tufted Duck is absent and the Scaup is just seeking the company of other Aythya ducks. We will just have to see if the Scaup hangs around and if youngsters grow up with hybrid qualities.
Letter From Norfolk 