Benefits of flooding

I managed a 30 minute trip around the car park and Bittern hide this afternoon and was happy to see a Great Black-backed Gull heading North towards Sonning pits and a then a flock of about 10 finches, most likely Linnet heading over Tern Meadow, East.

At the hide the Shoveler were very close, a female just yards away, begging for a picture

A little further away were several more asleep

I was scanning thru all the ducks, about 80+ Shoveler in all, Teal, Pochard, Tufted Duck, then a few Snipe tucked in around the reed piles, but then a Shoveler caught my eye due to it's pale appearance and I got one decent shot of it before it vanished into the reeds while feeding.

It got me reading about aging Northern Shoveler, but I have to say in this case I am none the wiser, because the undertail coverts are all white.

The article I read is here https://cmboviewfromthecape.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/when-is-female-northern-shoveler-not.html

The bird in question

P.S. 24th Nov
I wrote an email to Peter Pyle in the U.S. and he very kindly replied quickly to say he agreed it was an adult female, a darker bill than might be expected, but certainly a leucistic individual and despite the unusual white under tail coverts, unlikely to be a hybrid.