ORNITHOLOGISTS on Elton Reservoir have a mystery on their hands.

A couple of weeks ago a huge and so far unidentified bird took up residence on the water.

Puzzled Adrian Case (59), of Greenfield Close, Elton, snapped the quacker and his picture is reproduced by the Bury Times today.

Mr Case, a former nuclear power plant worker who now enjoys bird watching as a hobby, is hoping an expert in the field will come forward and identify the creature.

He said: "The bird swims with the mallards and can be seen from the sailing club car park bridge where they congregate while people feed them scraps.

"Apart from being much larger than a mallard it is different in a number of ways.

"The flash in the tail is the same but the white eye is completely different again. When it swims it tends to have very much a cocked tail.

"It has flashes of gold and russet on its chest. A mallard's chest is much smaller, gently rounded and can be light or dark brown or white.

"Mallards have a tiny flash in their tail which can sometimes be turquoise but on the larger bird a green flash continues up the wing and turns dark blue.

"It could be a mixed or cross breed but if it is I don't know what with."

If any keen ornithologists out there who recognises the mystery duck can call our own birdman Tony Mooney on (0161) 764 9421 ext 220.

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