Mandarin. Becoming annual?

July last year saw Mandarin duck added to the Druridge list and today I saw my second Druridge Mandarin. Are they becoming more common or is this the same bird coming back?

Like last year, it was a very dull female type bird. Last year I got excited because it was full patch tick, this year I failed to conjure up much enthusiasm. Bizarrely, it is worth two points on the Patch competition, one more than hobby!

A first-summer little gull is still hanging about and looks particularly scruffy.

Little gull

Offshore, there are still about 1300 scoters but the flock was fragmented and distant in poor visibility. A few sanderlings were still on the shore but less than last night.

This meadow pipit made good 'new lens' practice

Meadow pipit

Soon after, chaos descended on Druridge with lots of brats getting out of lots of cars. Time to leave.

like a bank holiday - chaos

134 Mandarin duck