Rare Duck! Near Where I Live ~ Shock Horror!

I SPOTTED THREE GADWALLS the other day. They are "quite uncommon" according to the bird book. They look like ordinary brown (female) mallard ducks, except they're smaller, have yellow bills, and dive a lot. That's how I first spotted them, by the diving.

This is what they look like. The nearer one is the male. I saw three females but they got really nervous with me crashing along the river bank and hiding near a wasps' nest. So they all took off and pinged away.

Today I saw a male and a female. They do look just like in the picture. Wow. I can't believe that I, of all people, actually saw a rare piece of wildlife ~ WOW!

This is a female. Notice she is more duck-shaped than a duck! (Ie a mallard.)

This is a female mallard. Notice the bright blue speculum (that's the coloured band on her wing).

I'm being really respectable these days. Have been writing a LOT. I might have to start up another blog ~ a "writer's blog".
Take care everyone :-)