IT WAS good to see several tufted ducks during a recent visit to Delph Pond in Tullibody, for they are engaging birds that are constantly busy.

Tufties are charming in their demeanour, the drakes sporting punk-style crested 'haircuts', while the brown plumaged females exhibit an under-stated elegance, which I find compelling.

Like many other ducks, tufted ducks are often active by night.

Thomas Coward, the renowned 20th century ornithologist, noted: "The tufted's habits are fairly regular; as a rule, most of the day is spent idly on the water, the birds slumbering with the blue bill tucked into the black back, floating lightly, like small black and white buoys swinging in the wind".

Once darkness falls, these enchanting little ducks stir into action, diving in the shallows for aquatic weeds and invertebrates, their black and white bodies blending seamlessly with the moon dappled water.

Mallards were also about on Delph Pond, and because they are so familiar there is a tendency to overlook them.

This is a shame, for they are handsome ducks and I always give them the time of day.

Mallards occur on all kinds of water bodies, including rivers, small ponds and our largest lochs.

They are adaptable and can nest in a wide variety of locations, including in trees and buildings, as well as on the ground.

They have a long breeding season compared to other ducks and may lay eggs as early as February.

They are common on the River Devon and in late spring and early summer are often glimpsed with their fluffy ducklings.

Mallards thrive by humanity and I suppose the brashness of the mallard is an important trait in their ubiquity, and they quickly habituate themselves to the presence of people, including at Delph Pond.

Mallards have long been revered as a source of food, and the early cookery book 'A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye' published in 1545 stated that a mallard tasted best after a frost.

One recipe from about that time recommended roasting a mallard over a spit, and then boiling it, and once cooked sufficiently '…lay it on a dish with the broth upon it, and so serve it forth'.

As well as the tufties and the mallards, it was encouraging to see that the young mute swans on Delph Pond were doing well.

This little oasis in the heart of Tullibody is a haven for all kinds of different wildlife and it is a place to be cherished