Birds in a Billingham garden

As can be seen, this is a majestic looking bird of quite a large size. We get the odd one or two visiting Cowpen Pond, but several pairs live and breed on the nearby Saltholme Ponds. They seem to suffer disturbance, as where they nest each year is only a few watery feet from the roadside. Several pairs breed successfully leading to lots of little chicks bobbing round in late Spring. They are quite proficient at diving for their food and can spend several minutes under water.