Im a big Bond fan but the real Goldeneye is a true winter treat. A medium-sized black and white duck, it has, as its name suggests, a golden eye that gives it the look of being permanently startled. The male has a dark-green, almost triangular head with a white face patch whereas the female’s head is dark brown.
You tend to see them here between November and March, but they now breed in Northern Scotland where they make use of nest boxes. Their natural nesting site is normally a hole in a tree and it’s from here, a mere day after hatching, that the young ducklings make a leap of faith from as much as forty feet. After their kamikaze tumble they begin feeding themselves under the watchful eye of mum.
You can sometimes see them at Dumbarton bridge but I’ve also spotted a few at The River Leven Barrage, near the Vale Angling Club.
Don’t confuse them with the Tufted Duck which is a little smaller. Annoyingly, the tuft at the back of its head isn’t always that obvious and it has a similarly startled-looking yellow eye. However, they lack the white face patch of the male Goldeneye and the head doesn’t have the same green sheen.
Both diving ducks, they’re quick to nip under the water, especially if they see a numpty with a camera prowling along the water’s edge. They feed on worms, insect larvae and small fish.
Here’s a useful link where you can hear the two birds... https://www.birdid.no/bird/eBook.php?specieID=1877&compareSpecieID=1438
