The Goosander or Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) is a member of a group of ducks known as 'sea ducks' - however many menders of this groups do not seem to be very closely related, so the usefulness of this grouping is questionable - especially as an number of species - including the Goosander - are not restricted to the sea!
However, with the 'sea ducks' are a group of birds known as Saw Bill ducks - these include Mergansers / Goosanders, Mergansers and Smew. As their name suggests all of these birds have a saw toothed beaks with is used for catching fish.
These are not the greatest pictures of a Goosander, but the last two are taken through the crystal clear waters of the Reuss River in Lucern, Switzerland. I'm pretty certain I've never seen a river of this size that was so clear - it was remarkable. This section of the river is just down stream from Lake Lucern, and this may account for why it is so clear: any sediment that it may have been carrying being deposited on the lake bed.
The Goosanders in Lucern are part of a population that is expanding, and since the 1850s the Scandinavian population has been expanding south, with first breeding records in Scotland occurring in 1871, and 1941 in England.
This bird is either a female or a young male, as mature males have a bottle green head.
As ever, to join in with WBW click on the blue link below. Cheers SM
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