Goosander are fish eating, saw-billed ducks, closely related to Merganser, (a species that is seen often close to home here on the River Exe). I must admit that I had almost given up hope of getting near enough to a Goosander to get a photo this year, but that all changed today, and what a magical encounter it turned out to be. If you have been reading the Blog this last few days you will have seen that I am back on a Dipper quest, I have been trying hard to improve my Dipper photos, a species that I have a special attraction for and I am obsessively intent on getting a great shot. It was a bit colder today so I dressed up well and got myself tucked in  a brilliant spot by the water. It  overlooked a moss covered boulder and it  was all very photogenic. If you look at the Grey Wagtail photo below, you can see what I mean. I had been sat for an hour and started to get a bit restless when suddenly out of the corner of my eye in front, I saw what I thought at first was a salmon  breaching out of the water. I stared intently for 30 seconds or so hoping it would do it again, and then suddenly, there in front of me a female Goosander popped up. What I had seen was the duck diving and I had just seen the white sides of the bird as it arched in to a “duck-dive”.  I think it is amazing that these birds are here on the River Teign, miles from the shore and smack in the middle of a wood. They eke out a living catching small trout and salmon, no wonder they are not popular with everyone! I know the bird didn’t see me, I was very well hidden but never the less it swam up stream and away from me which was the only disappointment of the encounter. So suddenly my day was made worthwhile and I had that feeling of smug satisfaction that I get when one of my plans comes together. 

As I sat there waiting for it to come back….. it never did by the way…….. I saw a Grey Wagtail quite a distance from me.  It was foraging for insects on the edge of the stream and it got closer and closer until, eventually it was just too close to photograph.  I did get a couple of nice shots but I should have done better I think. This is a male bird and he hasn’t yet aquired his black bib which Grey Wagtail males have when they are in tip-top breeding condition. You can just make out the start of it though.