Tame Tuftie

I have been ringing Wildfowl with the Radipole Ringing Group (http://www.radipoleringinggroup.co.uk/) for about a year now but I've never encountered a Tufted Duck so easy to catch. This bird was initially picked up on the bridge near the RSPB visitor centre at Radipole. I thought it had got itself stranded on there and couldn't take off. I checked it over and popped a ring on it (cheers to Terry Coombs for coming over with a ring!) before letting it go back on the water. It swam off fine showing no sign of injury, great!

This afternoon the bird reappeared on the bridge and was following the mallard and coot everywhere they went. A bit of wheat and the bird was my best friend, I couldn't get rid of the damn thing! At one point it wandered into the visitor centre then followed me back out. In the end I picked it up and put it back on the water! It does make you wonder whether its an escapee but it was quite light when we weighed the bird during processing. If i remember rightly it was about 500 grammes which is a couple of hundred lower than normal. So perhaps that explains its tameness??

Currently thinking about going out lamping Woodcock tonight, will post some pics if i am successful.