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Mallard – The “standard” duck - common throughout Gwent (Credit: Andy Karran) 94


Pintail – These slim, elegant ducks with distinctive tails occur in good numbers on the Gwent coast. (Credit: Andy Karran)


WINTER WILDFOWL


with Gwent Wildlife Trust’s Senior Wildlife Ecologist Andy Karran.


So far this year we have previously looked at Warblers and Waders. To keep it seasonal and carry on the “W” illiteration we will now look at Winter Wildfowl, more specifically ducks. When people say duck to you, you may well think of the tame ones on the local pond or you may just take evasive action!


There is actually a whole host of different species and for many winter is the best time to see them.


What is a duck? This may seem a bit insulting, because everybody knows what a duck is, it is likely one of the first animals we learn and words we say. They do however come in range of different sizes and whilst most have a typical ‘duck beak’ some such as the Goosander have longer, pointier beaks and even a name that can lead to confusion! They also don’t all quack!


They can be divided in to groups dependent on their method of feeding with dabbling ducks such as Teal and Mallard that feed


on the surface or by up-ending, diving ducks such as Tufted Duck and Pochard that dive to get their food and Saw-billed ducks such as Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser that have long, serrated beaks for catching slippery fish.


A considerable number of duck species have been recorded in Gwent, including quite a few rare vagrants from as far afield as the Americas and Asia.


Gwent Ornithological Society’s book, ‘The Birds of Gwent’ lists 25 different duck species and the situation is confused further by ‘exotic’ ducks that escape from collections and the many and varied types of ‘farmyard’ duck that are also present. We will look at those more familiar here in Gwent, particularly those that winter with us.


Ducks like it wet so the best place to see them are our rivers, lakes and coast. The top sites in Gwent are the Severn Estuary, where nationally important wintering numbers of Teal, Shoveler, Pintail


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GWENT WI LDL I F E TRUST WINT ER WI LDFOWL


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