In Search of a Scaup at Stanstead Innings

20th December 2023

On the 26th November Jane Free and Ron Cousins found a 1st winter male Scaup on Abbotts Lake at Stanstead Innings which is still there so time for a visit. It was supposed to be associating with the main flock of Tufted Ducks and Pochards, but today they were dispersed all over the lake in loose groups which made the task a lot harder.

I went round the eastern side of the lake so that what little light there was was behind me and started searching the lake from the fishing pegs. As I approached the last peg cautiously in case the Scaup was nearby I came face-to-face with the Great Northern Diver. This was a bit of a surprise as it hadn't been reported since the 16th and I had assumed it had moved on. Not so surprising was that it had just caught a Signal Crayfish.

At one point it tossed it into the air, presumably to turn it round.

This was by far the closest I have been to the diver, just a shame about the gloom!!!!

As a last resort I walked along the boardwalk to the Shoveler Hide which overlooks the more secluded part of the lake and after a few minutes of sifting through the Tufties found the Scaup. Unfortunately it was more then happy out in the middle of the lake so these were the best I could do.

Here is a size comparison with a Tufted Duck.

It will be interesting to watch its progress as it moults into its adult plumage.