The Scaup was present up and down river of the road bridge today. There was a drake shoveler resting amongst the teal on the mudflats lower down river. A peregrine rested and preened on the 'skeleton' of a long beached boat on the saltings higher up the estuary and beyond that there were many shelduck. A pair of cock reed bunting preened in a shrub on the tidal embankment. No sign of 'Tarka' the otter but I was told by a local resident that the workers at the Leri boatyard see it regularly.
Here are some photos I took of the Scaup and some facts which might interest readers.
The Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) 'Hwyaden Benddu' in Welsh breeds in the colder climates of Iceland and Siberia. Its primarily a winter visitor to Britain. The name 'Scaup' or 'Scaup-duck' derives from an old Scottish medieval word- 'Scalp' for a mussel bed. They eat a wide variety of food but they favour molluscs in winter especially mussels and boy there are plenty on the Leri just look from the bridge! A Norfolk name for the bird is 'Mussel Duck'.