Lesser Scaup

The lure of a second year male Lesser Scaup just 20 minutes from Copenhagen at Roskilde was too much today so, during a long (very long) lunch hour I caught the train to have a peek. The forecast was for the 'odd light shower' around lunchtime and then clear skies in the afternoon. For those of you familiar with the prowess of the Danish Meteorological Institute it will not surprise you to hear that I arrived in Roskilde in the midst of a blizzard with heavy snow and strong winds. The 'light shower' lasted about 45 minutes and, by the time it had moved on, the place was transformed with a layer of snow a couple of centimetres thick.

Arriving on site at Roskilde Fjord, the Lesser Scaup was on show immediately and at very close range in a reasonably sized ice-free area close to shore. However, it then proceeded to swim away with some Tufted Ducks and spent most of the next hour at the edge of the ice, around 20-30 metres away. It fed actively and at one point took flight, circled the area a couple of times and then, realising that this was the only ice-free area in sight, returned.

The bird was about the size of a Tufted Duck (ie smaller than Greater Scaup) and with a more 'peaked' head (not as round as Tufted Duck). It's head had a purple sheen to it in some lights and the black 'nail' on the tip of the bill was much thinner than on the surrounding Tufteds. A couple of times it conveniently wing-stretched, allowing the diagnostic wing-pattern to be seen (with a white bar on the inner 'arm' and a greyish bar on the outer 'hand').

This bird is only the 7th record for Denmark of this American duck (if accepted as a wild bird) and has attracted a stream of admirers since its discovery at the weekend.

Photos: Lesser Scaup