The next day was an altogether sunnier affair so I popped down at lunchtime to check on the injury and welfare of the unfortunate Smew. Both the females of Smew and Goosander are termed "redheads" to differentiate them from the males, and it struck me as I watched these two that the last redhead I saw round here was Charlie Dimmock, many years ago before tv fame, when she used to work at Mill water gardens just upstream. I love the aesthetics of the wing plumage architecture of Goosanders, I'm not sure of the style of design, is it art deco?
Their head and bill always suggests something much more ancient, a bird from a very wild place in time. However, at this time, this is not a very wild place. The saw of the sawbill is very plain to see in the light below
Although not often together on this day, these two redheads certainly didn't seem to mind eachother's company despite presumably being competitors in the food stakes. It gave a good chance for a size comparison anyway
The Smew spent quite a long period preening and stretching this lunchtime as though it had an itch it just couldn't reach and its contortions gave me a chance to assess the bill damage more carefully. The fact that it held its beak quite wide open for long periods for no real reason suggested that the injury doesn't go further back into the mandible which is a good thing
Looking as pretty as a picture, which is just as well..... because it is one
The Goosander was in for a bit of stretching as well, the black and white of the wings coming almost as a bit of a surprise as they open
Time for a rest
I would love to say that this is a Goosander in a sunset, but unfortunately its a house reflection
So the Smew seems to be doing fine, its feeding well and looking after its plumage and it doesn't appear to be in any obvious discomfort or distress. The injuries look like they are caused by some sort of impact but its difficult to tell how old they are.
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