Baer's Pochard at Castle Espie.

Welcome to my blog! I hope this is interesting to people who like nature and photography alike. For my first blog I would like to highlight a species of duck named the Baer's Pochard (Atthya baeri). 

Bear's pochard drake.

Size : 41-46 cm (16-18 inches).

Ecology: Eastern Asia, breeds in Russia and China.  

Sexual Dimorphism : Yes, males appear as above whilst females lack the green head and blue beak.

Habitat : Freshwater lakes and reservoirs with rich aquatic vegetation or flooded shrubby meadows. 

Conservation status : Critically endangered. 

The Baer's pochard is from the genus Aythya which is derived from the Greek word αυθυια meaning sea-dwelling duck. This is a genus comprised of exclusively diving ducks and include the Ferruginous duck, Tufted duck and Greater Scaup to name a few. 

Sadly as stated above this is a species on the brink of extinction with only roughly 100-200 birds left in the wild. Hunting and wetland destruction is thought to be the main cause of this mass decline although nobody is really sure as of yet. The Wildfowl and Wetlands trust (WWT) are currently breeding captive individuals like this drake seen in my photographs for hope to release their young into the wild once the threat is tackled with.

Baer's Pochard having a stretch.

I feel honoured that I got to see this beautiful duck whilst it is still around, sadly lots of people still continue to hunt these ducks without realising how rare they really are. Although I only saw the male at my visit to Castle Espie that day I am confident they are breeding them at the duckery nearby. Hopefully this bird can make a comeback one day. 

Castle Espie is located in County Down, Northern Ireland and is well worth the visit if you're nearby!

Showing the Iridescence of the head plumage.