I remember seeing my first Shovelor at Welney WWT when I was perhaps 8 or 9 - gliding through the gloom. The giant paddle shaped beak remains a source of fun. They are handsome - almost a metalic British Racing Green to the head and a neat white and chestnut side. I'd quite happily decorate my front room the colours of a Shovelor.
I picked this bird up at Rhas Al Khor on March 10 2012
