Tufted Duck

A Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) photographed on a nearby lake at sunset, Derbyshire, Peak District National Park. Tufties often get overlooked as a photographic subject in favour of more colourful or rare water birds. However I have always found them to be very photogenic with their distinctive crests, striking black and white feathers and bright yellow eyes.

Tufted Duck

“The tufted duck is a medium-sized diving duck, smaller than a mallard. It is black on the head, neck, breast and back and white on the sides. It has a small crest and a yellow eye. In flight it shows an obvious white stripe across the back of the wing. It breeds in the UK across lowland areas of England, Scotland and Ireland, but less commonly in Wales, with most birds being residents. Numbers increase in the UK in winter because of birds moving to the UK from Iceland and northern Europe.”
Read more at https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/tufted-duck#2QuryCC28MDxgV9z.99