On duck flirtation

It is funny how female ducks of several different species share a common language when it comes to courtship. Take for example the Goldeneye and the Great Crested Grebe. They are a different species and each quite dissimilar from the other but when it comes to attracting a mate they both act the same. The behaviour I captured (In ultra slow motion) over the weekend shows a courtship performance between the two sets of birds. First the female lowers her head very close to the water and then floats very still. She is saying "If you want to impress me, you better do it now". It is remarkable how both species do this.

The male response is unique to each species. The male Goldeneye sticks his head up and hoots at the sky. This is normally followed by a stretching of one wing followed by a stretching of the other wing. Yes it looks silly to us, but to a female Goldeneye this is impressive.

The male Great Crested Grebe however goes one better. The male spots that the female has her head down and then dives under water. He then majestically surfaces in front of her and copies her every move. For a few seconds he is her reflection. Then they part. For both of these birds we are seeing only the beginning of the courtship. This dancing will go on for several weeks yet and in the case of the Great Crested Grebe become quite energetic before they settle down and build a nest.

Have I got Smews for you!

The best view I have ever had of a Smew was as a white dot through my binoculars at Rutland Water. Needless to say they are a bit shy. When I heard that one had turned up at Switherland I gave in to my twitching reflex and went off on a wild Smew chase. After initially going to the wrong end of the reservoir I went back later to the other end. Apparently this Smew drake was near the dam. I looked up the the length of the dam and could see a distant white bird. A closer look revealed it to be a Goldeneye drake. I went back to the other end and followed the edge of the lake a short way. Apart from flushing a few more Goldeneyes and the odd Great Crested Grebe I didn't see anything so I returned to my car. I was about to give in when I spotted that the white dot bobbing around near the other end of the dam had turned into two white dots. I went back and spotted that alongside the Goldeneye was the Smew. The dam wall enabled me to sneak up quite close and peak over. Every time the bird dived I crept closer until It was swimming around right in front of me. It was 100% pure magic!

Here is the Smew with the Goldeneye

And before you ask, I did get some ultra slow motion footage so check out the video below. If you're reading this on facebook then you will need to go to my blog.

Goldeneyes at Watermead

This is what a Goldeneye should look like. This photo was taken at Rutland water last year. The other day I spotted some very distant black headed ducks in the very middle of King Lears Lake at Watermead. One quick peak through the binoculars confirmed that they were Goldeneyes. I couldn't get any closer than this, so I will have to show you some better shots from Rutland Water that I got last year.

This video starts with me watching a pear of Great Crested Grebes and then via a rapid pan of astonishment to a duck that stays mostly underwater, but pops up now and then. That is the Goldeneye.

Can you hold your breath for as long as this Goldeneye?