Each year I produce a wildlife calendar for family and friends using my bird pictures. This month’s subject is a male smew that I photographed at Rutland Water in January 2020. The smew is a small compact diving duck. The male is white with a black mask and a black back, the female is grey with a reddish-brown head and white cheek. The number wintering in the UK is less than 200 birds so my sighting was a rare treat.


