WITH their bright plumage and extravagant colours, this pair of ducks have been spotted paddling around a Witham pond, almost 8,000 miles from their native habitat in the Far East.
The Mandarin ducks were spotted by photographer Steve Thomas as he walked along the River Walk near Guithavon Street on Monday.
The HGV driver, of Claudius Way, usually takes snaps of Lambrettas and Vespas, but decided to try to get a picture of the exotic birds.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw them, it's rare to see them in these parts," said the 49-year-old. "They were just swimming happily with all the other ducks.
"I heard they were in the pond and really wanted to get a picture of them, so as it was a sunny day I thought I'd try and get a good picture. Apparently they are only found in China so they might have escaped from a collector.
Decorated with a green and purple crest, orange face and a dazzling red bill, Mandarin ducks are native to east Asia, but are sometimes found in Britain and northern Europe having been introduced in the 20th century.
The ducks can be sometimes be seen in the British countryside because at some point they escaped captivity and continued to breed in the wild.
The two Mandarin ducks pictured appear to be males as they are usually brighter then their female counterparts. They can be seen enjoying the fresh winter water with some of their fellow common ducks.
