Isn't she bonnie?

This is a female goosander and I think she is possibly more handsome than the male, or at least as handsome. I blipped her at Figgate Pond, a place I had wanted to explore for some time, and I finally made it, along with T who hadn't been there either. We learned that the crest of female goosanders varies with mood, but the source (Collins bird app) didn't elaborate, so we were left to speculate. 

It was a beautifully sunny day, which was ok even with a fairly stiff breeze - it felt as if there was some warmth in the sunshine. T and I really liked Figgate Pond - it's a good size with a splendid island - and as well as various goosanders there was a pochard and a goldeneye in addition to the more usual mallards and moorhens. There was a pair of swans and Canada geese too so we thought a spring visit or two would be very worthwhile. We heard quite a lot of birdsong - the birds clearly think spring is on its way, but I hope they realise there could be a fair amount of winter before that.