Ring-necked Duck – adult male at Gjennestadvannet, Vestfold & Telemark, Norway on 17th March 2020

On 15th March a visiting birder was lucky to find this adult male Ring-necked Duck / Ringand Aythya collaris in a flock of newly arrived Tufted Ducks. The species is rare in Norway only the 5th individual recorded in this county. This bird has proved very popular with local and visiting birders, although photographing it well has not been particularly easy due to the long distance and often poor light conditions, as was during my visit on 17th March. However this North American species is also popular in waterfowl collections in Europe, so as with all observations of 'rare waterfowl’, the question of spontaneous occurrence will always be asked. The species gets its name from the bird's reddish-brown neck-ring, which is often difficult to see except at close range and in good light.