12/11/2023 Abberton Reservoir, Essex

Canvasback: There's no other way to spend a Sunday then twitching a rare bird with good friends. This time it was a trip to Essex for a bird that hasn't been seen on our shores for over twenty years. 

Native to North America these birds have a well-established breeding population through central Canada, north through the middle of the continent into central and northern Alaska.

Here is a nice comparrison between our own common pochard and the yanky canvasback which shows that male canvasback have a wedge shaped chestnut red head and neck, a long black bill and black breast.

The bird gave us a bit of a run around as during the morning it was flocking with over 200 common pochard and it wasn't until they dispersed across the water and landed on the smaller reservoir and began feeding. 

Apologies for the poor record shots, all taken at some distance and through my scope, far from ideal.