If last years Ferruginous Duck / hvitøyeand Aythya nyroca find was a sensation by Norwegian standards, then this years re-visit of what was presumably the same bird might be considered as weird. While visiting Snekkestaddammen, a small lake near Holmestrand on a weekly basis my thoughts often reflect last years experience but on the 22nd April, amazingly, this superb adult male duck was back on the lake. As last year the Ferruginous Duck was hindered to venture onto the open lake by the resident male Common Goldeneye and each time it tried, it was chased back into the reeds. During this hour-long afternoon visit, the duck seemed to feed successfully in the short reeds along the shoreline although mostly kept a fare distance from the observation point. As last year, a close companion was contacted and who soon arrived to take several film sequences, then also the landowner/farmer arrived and wondered if we had re-found the 'rare duck' which amusingly we could inform him that we had. Apparently last year there had been quite a commotion by the many visiting birders, and this flock gathering and indiscriminate parking was not particularly appreciated by the farmer or the nearby house owner. So because of this, it was decided to not release the news until the bird had gone. On 23rd April I arrived early morning with a plan to hopefully get some good photographs of the duck. On arrival the feeding duck was found very close to the observation place and it was possible to sneak inn close and set up the photo gear without disturbing it. Most of the time the duck was photographed against the early morning light, but also swam closely past in better light, allowing some reasonably good shots to be taken. The duck, although not ringed, seemed unusually tame as last year and there must be real doubt to it being a spontaneous wild bird and probably originates from a collection somewhere.
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| Ferruginous Duck, adult male - Holmestrand, Norway 23rd April 2021 |
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| Ferruginous Duck, adult male - Holmestrand, Norway 23rd April 2021 |
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| Ferruginous Duck, adult male - Holmestrand, Norway 23rd April 2021 |
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| Ferruginous Duck, adult male - Holmestrand, Norway 23rd April 2021 |
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| Ferruginous Duck, adult male - Holmestrand, Norway 23rd April 2021 |
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| Ferruginous Duck, adult male - Holmestrand, Norway 23rd April 2021 |
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| Ferruginous Duck, adult male - Holmestrand, Norway 23rd April 2021 |
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Ferruginous Duck, adult male - Holmestrand, Norway 23rd April 2021
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