Our Annual Pilgrimage to Welney - Part 1

26th November 2024

So here we are again at Welney to enjoy the waterfowl and some other surprises.

There were nine species of duck present today, six surface feeders and three divers. Of the surface feeders there were plenty of Mallard in front of the main hide but the Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler tend to keep further out and are best seen from the other hides. There were also quite a few Pintail present but they kept their distance so no photos.

The Shelducks were keeping to the eastern end of the reserve in front of the Lyle and Friends hides.

Of the diving ducks I could only find just one Tufted Duck, a rather smart male, amongst the hundreds of Pochards in front of the main hide.

Pochards are by far the commonst duck here but it is worth noting that the males significantly outnumber the females. This is because, for whatever reason, most females spend the winter in Spain.

And now for a bath...............

..................followed by a preen..................

........................rounded off with a wing flap to dry off!!!

The females are much duller than the males but are a subtle blend of pastel shades

And of course plenty of opportunties for some flight shots.

But a surprise today was the appearance of a female Goldeneye by the Lyle Hide. I have been coming to Welney for several years now and can't recall ever seeing a Goldeneye here before and always assumed it was because of the relatively shallow water.

There were three species of geese including these Canada and Greylags.

There were also a few hundred Pink-footed Geese present but these were at the far side of Lady Fen so way out of range.

Well, what a great start...................and there's still more to come!!!!!