Centre Stage, I give you _ _ _ Garganey

Sunday morning in brilliant weather we finally made it down to the Open Air Theatre in Northstead Manor Gardens, Scarborough to try and see a bird present for the previous week.

For those that do not know Scarborough's Open Air Theatre was famous for musicals and productions in the 50's & 60's and had become very dilapidated through the 80's/90's etc . It undertook a face lift two years and opened, all 5,000 seats to Dame Kiri Te Kawana, Elton John highlights of the season. This year we get Dionne Warwick, JLS what more could you want? Perhaps a Garganey!

When we got there we were for a moment or two disappointed, perhaps the drake had finally gone, it had been seen recently in the water to the North of the theatre stage, this is quite a small area. I went to look down behind the stage and suddenly it was flushed out into the main pool by a fairly vicious Water Hen which certainly did not like the Garganey.

Views for photography were not great a bit into the sun, slightly too distant for my 500mm lens, no converter for my Sigma with auto focus.

After the poor Garganey had rested on the water for a while the Water Hen had another go, and flushed it over the walk way to the stretch of water between the theatre seats (graced by Her Majesty who did the official opening in 2010) and the public footpath and the centre of the stage.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you drake Garganey. I hope you like.