Species detailled

The white backed duck, I did not believe my eyes the first time ever I saw them. Gerrit sold them over the phone while I was standing there, the price was even more impressive than the birds.

For more than 25 years we keep our group going. A strange duck that does not know a season. Can be may, can be august. Once they layed and parent raised 3 babies, in october. All went well.

Still a dream for many, top of wishlists. Once you've seen them.... Tiger ducks was the name a young girl once gave them, suits them very well. The white feathers are under the wings, so selden seen.

The Pacific scaup came into our collections by accident. In the times when importing birds was still a normal thing...... some giants in waterfowl organised an egg collectiong trip to Alaska. Permits, helicopters to the Toendra, huge stories to tell and been told to me several times.

Among the nests gathered where the eggs of these scaups. While everyone involved was exited over the eider and harlequin babies in the incubators, this scaup seemed a mistake. Till someody realized this was the american version of our European scaup, not the small one, but the Pacific, aythya marila mariloides.

Keith got me a pair and I came in contact with Mike W who kept them going for many years, Roger also had a good going pair. Mike and I exchanged birds over the years, each of us often seemed to miss something the other had surplus. It was fun, breeding something no one would ever call for. When Mike passed away to the greater ponds, his birds came to Blackbrook Zoo. When Blackbrook Zoo stopped, I wa able to collect 'my' ducks back (thanks Daniel) and made sure Roger would know we could make a new start.

So with high hopes, spotlights in our neck, much internal pressure but most of all the forecast of oldtimers working together again, we look forward to coming seasons.