Strathnairn, Highlands I counted 18 of them coming in to feed on the mixed grain we spread out on two ground-level bird tables below the apple trees

I was up at first light the other day, listening for the ritual morning call of birds flying low across the field from the river Nairn. Their croaking sounded like moorhens, but I knew that these would be the mandarin ducks coming in to feed in the garden. These are the birds that bred in this part of the strath earlier this year – only about 15 pairs have been recorded in the whole of the Highlands.

The females, as usual, led the way, the males close behind. Aix galericulata have one of the highest wing/weight ratios of the ducks, and their relatively long wings and tail give them great manoeuvrability. When the flock reached the paddock, you could see these remarkable wings come into their own, as the birds twisted and turned around the tall beech and sycamore trees.

I counted 18 of them coming in to feed on the mixed grain we spread out on two ground-level bird tables below the apple trees. This food is intended for small birds, mallard and mandarins, though if the badgers have eaten their peanuts during the night they often help themselves too.

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A window five metres from the tables is ideal for observing, and photographing, the mandarins. About a third of the birds were drakes and the rest comparatively drab-looking females and juveniles.

At this time of the year the drakes are very striking, with a green and purple crest and a chestnut-orange ruff around their necks, orange-brown flanks and dark back. The varying colours blend to create an image of golden plumage dramatically offset by the two copper-coloured sail feathers that extend vertically 5cm or more forward of the tail; over the years I have made a collection of them when they have moulted in the garden.

Feeding was frantic, the mandarins jostling each other as they scooped up the grain, pausing only to dart over to the bird bath for a quick drink before running back into the melee. Then, as quickly as they arrived, the visitors were gone, heading very low over the field towards the river.

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