We often visit Richmond Deer Park.  And on days when cold and miserable weather has been predicted or experienced it seems that only the well-heeled go out walking.  On days like that, I sometimes feel that we’ll be asked for our papers and be ejected from the park for being too trashy. Only Simon’s National Trust hat saved us from that fate today.

Although this afternoon the weather was bright, that was very different from what the prognosticaters suggested. Although the researchers on the Jeremy Kyle ( or Maury Povich) show would have struggled to find a full line up from the park’s patrons – they might have headed to us first.

At the duck pond, I saw two young people feeding the ducks from two freshly purchased Waitrose (upscale grocery) whole grain loaves. (Which they did not share with our breadless toddler).

And the other family there, clearly upper middle class,  were marked by the erudition of the children.  “Mummy, look there’s a shelduck! And a shoveler.”  I was really impressed.  I’m always impressed by kids who can ID trees or wildflowers or some of the many types of fairly exotic waterfowl that hang around Richmond Park.

I wanted to ask the kid what this duck was – as it was just around the other side of the pond and I didn’t know what it was. But his mother gave me a suspicious look. (I swear I didn’t look that bad)

So can you tell me what this gorgeous duck is?

or this one with its fabulous ‘do.

or this one that I feel I should know, but don’t

Can you help me ID these ducks (or ducklike creatures)?

(Pintail, Tufted duck, and Red Crested Pochard – thanks Twitter! – and commenters below)