3 - tukkasotka

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Tukkasotka? Yes, it's become a bit of a thing for me now, to check whether a visitor to the pond up the hill is also familiar in Finland. As you can see, the tukkasotka is what we know as the tufted duck. It's not uncommon in either country; apparently they have between 100,000 and 150,000 breeding pairs, while in the UK it's "numerous". It just so happens that I haven't seen one up on the pond before. Or two, because this looks like a pair.

In general the wildlife there has diminished over the last year, so it's nice to see these birds around, however long they stay. The thing is, from what I understand, the ownership of the pond is up in the air, and there's even the possibility of it being filled in, which would be a bitter outcome because it's the one natural amenity visible between a new housing estate and the services area with MacDonalds, KFC, Starbucks etc which I've mentioned before. It's actually an outlier of the much larger fishing lake on the other side of the bypass, but that business folded a few years ago. Sometimes they would come and stock this pond too, and there'd be some anglers here especially at the weekend, but not any more. One hopes common sense will save the pond, and even provide some much needed loving care for the surroundings. Before you ask, yes, I do pick up stuff and bin it, but the area needs more than that.
Sorry, they're not great pictures; they're tiny areas cropped from larger images. But I did take up my camera rather than rely on my phone. At least you can identify the species from this. Once again I'm almost tempted to go and buy a decent digital SLR, but you know, I wonder how much use I'd really make of it. For my purposes, when the time comes, it'll make much more sense to get a good quality compact - assuming they're still making them!

By the way, the walk to the pond, up one path and coming back another, 20 minutes or so, is my coronavirus exercise. I suppose I could vary it a bit, but one has become wary of unfamiliar places these days. It's kind of farcical, even on this route, having to dodge back or sideways when someone is coming the other way. As likely as not giving each other a rueful smile. I haven't found anyone ignoring social distancing, but I know there are such types. There's a bit of a 'chicane' just before the pond, which is the one place one has to watch oneself. I'm not going to stop going up there, I'd miss casting my eye over the sinisorsat (mallards) and the tukkasotkat...

Comments

  1. GLEG5 April 2020 at 19:31

    Any punapäätä oleva haukka in the area?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark6 April 2020 at 00:37

      Ei mitään! :) Or is that a dodgy Google Translate? Is there a 'red headed hawk'? Or maybe you mean the buzzard - no none of them. To be honest I'm not actually a bird spotter and the only birds of prey I've noticed have been kestrels and a barn owl.

      Delete

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