Duck watching with the GOA.

To the G.O. the sound of a 'quack' from a duck is music to ones ears. So when news reached the GOA that a lost duck from the USA had taken up residence in cleveland (why, god only knows) we decided to make the perilous journey across yorkshire. This was a valuable excerise in duck accents, 'did it quack in a yank accent ?' this was what we went to find out. On arrival my good self, LeDonis and Bluebirder made the exhaustive trek over an embankment to view the pool the duck was residing on. With news from some G.O's that the duck may have flown back to the USA we were a little down hearted but decided a thorough GOA scan was in order to be sure. About an hour had passed and it seemed the G.O's were right there was no sign. But wait had Bluebirder seen the yank duck ? by the time my good self and LeDonis got to Bluebirder there was no sign. In vain we searched listening for the faintest hint of an accent but all we could hear were planes, cars, motorbikes and a fat woman with three children and a dog but no quacking. Using my Telescope i happened to see a duck that looked kind of good, so in true GOA style i stood looking at it for 3 hours waiting for it to quack but all it did was sleep, which in hindsight was a good idea having flown from america. G.O's came and went in the time some with fieldguides some with old fashioned telescopes but none with any clue if this could be the duck. LeDonis was becoming increasingly irratable (i think it was his bowels) so decided to go for some 'private time' around the pool, during his 'private time' the duck decided it was a good time to stand up and show of a fine pair of yellow legs and thus providing the GOA with the unfortunately necessary identification features of the duck. Unfortunate because maybe just a yank quack would have confirmed its identification a lot earlier. A brown duck, grey bill, eye ring, dark eye stripe, blue wing bar and yellow legs but no quack. Oh well theres always next time ?