The best equipment for birdwatching is a pair of binoculars or a scope, a notebook and pen to record your sightings, and a guide for more information on other species of duck. Compared to common scoter, velvet scoter are heavily built with a chunky, wedge-shaped bill along with usually having white in the wing.

Guide to UK Duck Identification The NHBS Guide to UK Duck Identification

Look out for large groups of males performing their spinning communal courtship displays to a female or two in late winter. They were believed to have been non-migratory and found singly or in pairs and very rarely in small groups.The gadwall is a fairly common, large dabbling duck, similar in shape to the mallard, with a square head, steep, sloping forehead, and slim bill. It is not known why it was always considered rare, but the rarity is believed to be genuine (and not an artefact of insufficient fieldwork) as its erstwhile habitat was frequently scoured by hunters in Colonial times.

Ducks of the UK: how to identify, behaviours and when to see them Ducks of the UK: how to identify, behaviours and when to see them

UPPERCASE: current genus Uppercase first letter: generic synonym ● and ● See: generic homonyms lowercase: species and subspecies ●: early names, variants, misspellings ‡: extinct †: type species Gr.They’re larger than common pochard but the plumage is similar, with the males sporting a fiery perm!