Mandarin ducks

On a warm March day in 2020, I was out walking my dog, when I saw something very peculiar…

It came from China. It’s making a splash across England. Its Latin name derives from it appearing to be wearing a form of headdress*. But I’m not talking about the coronavirus — I’m talking about the mandarin duck.

With the exception of a visit to the Martin Mere wetland reserve in Lancashire in 2008, I had never seen this species, so I was a bit surprised to see two males and a female on the river near where I live. My dog was more interested in squirrels, though.