An hour long visit mid-morning produced one of those birding dilemmas when you find something and are pretty sure you know what it is, but it does not quite show you exactly what you want to see to nail the identification without doubt. So a female Wigeon on West Pool had me convinced it was an American Wigeon due to colouration of plumage, etc. but whilst watching it, it just sat on the water doing very little...so I was unable to see anything in the way of underwing colouration or any wing bars! If only it had given me a little flap!
Other than this cryptic duck I saw very little whilst on site. The southern end of the reservoir produced a fly-over Meadow Pipit and a Raven. Three or so Bullfinches were seen and a flock of eleven Snipe wheeled around before vanishing in to the vegetation somewhere.
Also of note today, a Red Admiral and a Clouded Yellow on the wing still...both looking extremely smart.
Update:
When I got home I received a text from a fellow birder:
"Fem. US wigeon west pool 11am. 99% sure. Dark eye and prom. white wing bar"
If only I'd spent a little longer staring at it and not rushing off I may well have got on to that wing bar too!
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