Psilos Wildfowl Photography |
Red breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) |
A member of the Sawbill group this diving
duck is just at home on fresh water as it is on the sea. They are gregarious,
forming flocks of several hundred in the autumn and are commonly seen
around the coast in winter. Their diet of fish such as salmon and trout
has also brought them into conflict with game fishermen. Breeds near
freshwater lakes and slow rivers, and also sheltered inlets and estuaries.
Its diet consists mainly of fish but it will eat other small crustaceans. |
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Morecombe bay on the northwest coast is
a good place to see these birds in the winter. The birds shown here
were a pair photographed mid march 2005. For some time I watched the
male tousling with a crab (photos below) He did eventually swallow it
though quite how he managed it I still do not know. |
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