Long-tailed duck, Taylor Park

Long-tailed Duck, Taylor Park
Photo © John Tymon

I was delighted to find a long-tailed duck at Taylor Park this afternoon whilst taking the toddler grandchild to the swings. It's the eighth record for St Helens and I've now managed to find three of them. My previous finds were at Eccleston Mere in 2005 and Prescot reservoirs in 2015, so with todays bird being in 2025, my next predicted sighting is 2035!

This coot kept chasing it.

Long-tailed Duck, Taylor Park
Photo © John Tymon

Long-tailed Duck, Taylor Park
Photo © John Tymon

Edit 18/11/2025: At 10:10 the bird flew north had at the time of writing has not been seen again.

Long-tailed Duck, Taylor Park
Photo © John Tymon