This is a resident Mandarin duck, Aix galericulata, that lives with a raft of Mallards. It is a feisty male, that fights for it's share of food, that is usually thrown over by local residents. It has a great personality and definitely thinks he's the ring leader, I just wish he could find a suitable partner. It can be seen on Cragg Brook, below the foot bridge, between The Shoulder of Mutton and Streamside Close, Mytholmroyd, on most days.
Well spotted, Alison. It's one of the world's most spectacularly-patterned birds.
ReplyDeleteThey can be tempted to nest in boxes set up near the stream they're living on.
A pair bred beside the Ryburn a few years back. A female with ducklings was seen on the river near the Old Bridge Inn, though the nest site wasn't found.
Thanks for the report Alison. They are not often seen in Calderdale.
ReplyDeleteWe have a similarly feisty young male Mandarin visit our garden in Kebroyd irregularly.
ReplyDeleteHe first came last year with an older male who had been before with a female.
He certainly is a character who arrives with a group of Mallards and thinks ALL the food put out for the birds is his!