Airedale, West Yorkshire: Neck held straight, upright and officer-like, the drake appears dressed in close-fitted tweeds, a fine houndstooth of tan and grey I don’t know a bird book that has much to ...

The plumage of the male and female Gadwall differ. The males’ chest, shoulders and flanks are dyed dark grey and the most striking thing in their plumage is the deep black rump. Gadwall females are ...

A trip to Clumber Park in Notting-hamshire is always guaranteed to turn up some exciting birdlife, and this was no exception. One of the regular sightings there is a duck called the gadwall, ...

The gadwall has no glam. Its nickname, the “gray duck,” is the definition of dull. But a close look at the subtly hued drake shows that he’s every bit as handsome—in an understated way—as any ...

In the field, no two birders would identify a rare bird in facsimile fashion. It is especially true of the first deci-second of the encounter. “What marker did you see first?” would invariably elicit ...

Fall season laments the end of summer, but it’s a beautiful season with some lingering warmer days and fall colors. October and November are also great months for migrating waterfowl, which migrate ...

Claim to fame: There are no surveys to prove it, but gadwalls could very well be the “most hunted” duck species in southwest Missouri. Mallards may get all the publicity, but gadwalls fly through this ...

Hitchin, Hertfordshire: Is it a mallard, is it a gadwall? In fact we have one of each, paired-up in an example of waterfowl hybridisation that isn’t unusual We could be hiking through an upland ravine ...