Pochard

I have mentioned the Pochard (Aythya ferina) on this blog before, but they are such charming little ducks that they always bare further investigation.
This morning, as we walked around the pond at Straw's Bridge, there were three of these diving ducks to be seen, two males and a female.  The female was some way away from the two males and was busy trying to snatch a piece of bread for itself from an elderly couple who were throwing food to the swans, gulls and ducks.  The males were having none of it.  They were contented just to float around, sleeping the morning away.

Only about 475 pairs of Pochards breed in Britain, but their numbers increase in the Winter months to about 85,500 individuals with birds from Northern Europe overwintering in our more temperate climate.

Pochards are covered by the terms of the "Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds" which was set up in 1995 to help with the conservation of wetland birds.  More can be read about the agreement HERE.