Leeds-Liverpool Canal, Shipley, West Yorkshire, Saturday approx 4.30pm – I only got a fleeting look as I was driving over the Dock Lane swingbridge, but here goes…

two ducks, most likely males considering their plumage, in amongst a group of male and female mallards which I don’t have any problem identifying – they were definitely not mallards.

They seemed bigger than the mallards; brownish back, green neck & head, white chest. RSPB site suggests Shovelers, but I didn’t see the beaks so can’t confirm.

similar but their backs seemed more brown than this. The site also suggests they may be resident or borderline summer visitors

nul points for anyone that says “baby robin” 😉

Shovelers in winter plumage?

Shelduck?

according to the RSPB site, too far inland for a shelduck – very much a coastal bird. We’re about as far as you can get from either coast level with or north of the Humber. but also not enough white

Via a twitching mate of mine,

“male shoveler, 100%”

Addendum,

“ah sorry, was going off the pic he posted. Could be a goosander or goldeneye… probably a goosander, still a few around. Goosanders are bigger than mallards, shovelers are about same or slightly smaller.”

LOL – I made the same mistake at first – looked at the picture and thought “well that’s obviously a shoveler”

D’oh!

sorry to mislead you, I posted the picture after I’d been on the RSPB website and already decided they were shovelers…

but that’s the best match to my original description…

.. of course, I could have just discovered the lesser greater Shipley duck that looks like no other duck in the world except perhaps a shoveler… latin name duckii shipleyii drummerii

BTW they seemed MUCH bigger than mallards, but again I was trying not to drive into the canal at the time…

I too saw some ducks, exactly as you described on our local river, never seen them before and definitely not mallards or goosander as I’m familiar with both.

definitely not mallards or goosander as I’m familiar with both.

Not in the biblical sense I hope…? 😯