Breeding Ducks
Shetland's
many freshwater lochs provide breeding grounds for a handful of different
species of ducks. Most people are familiar with the Mallard, but four
other species also breed here, in small numbers. On the whole, these
species favour lochs which are rich in nutrients and with vegetation
around the water's edge. Such lochs are called `mesotrophic' or `eutrophic',
for example those in the Tingwall Valley or at Spiggie. However, the
Red-breasted Merganser favours clear, nutrient-poor lochs which are called
`oligotrophic'.
Shetland
Biological Records Centre needs your help to find out more about how many
pairs nest each year, how successful they are, and which are the most
important areas for each species. Please help us by sending us your
sightings.
In most
species of ducks, the males are brightly coloured and distinctive (this
helps their display and courtship behaviour). Females are much duller and
less conspicuous (which in turn helps them avoid predators at the nest),
and therefore less easy to recognise. To help identify a female without an
accompanying male partner, pay careful attention to shape and behaviour.
Photo
right - Female Red-breasted Merganser with chicks
MALLARD
Mallards
are familiar to most people and are the wild ancestor of domestic
farmyard" ducks. The male is striking, with metallic green head,
purplishbrown breast, a largely grey body with black stern and upcurled
tail. Females are streaky brown, with a darker crown and stripe through
the eye.
TEAL
Teal are
small ducks, a little bigger than half the size of a Mallard. Males are
greyish, with a dark chestnut head relieved by a broad, metallic-green
stripe running back from the eye. Females are typically nondescript,
mottled brown. Teal forage mostly among the shallows and emergent
vegetation at the water's edge, and sometimes by grazing around the loch
margins.
WIGEON
Wigeon are
a little smaller than Mallard. Males are pale grey, with a pinkish breast
and a black stern. The rich, bright chestnut head is relieved by a yellow
blaze on the forehead. The female is more uniform, mottled reddish-brown.
Both sexes have a white belly in flight, and a distinctive, clear "wheeeoo"
call. They do not dive, but frequently come out of the water to graze
short, grassy swards.
TUFTED
DUCK
Tufted
Ducks are medium-sized diving ducks. They are very efficient underwater
swimmers, and dive for a mixture of plant and invertebrate food. Males are
very striking, being essentially jet black, with a large white panel on
the flanks, and a long drooping black crest at the back of the head.
Females are dark, chocolate-brown, paler on the flanks and with only a
small tuft or `bump' on the rear crown where the males have a crest.
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
Red-breasted Mergansers (pictured on cover) are `sawbills', so called
because of serrated edges to the bill which helps them deal with the small
fish on which they feed. Like Tufted Ducks they dive proficiently. Males
are very striking, with a predominantly black, white and grey-brown body,
a rusty-brown breast and a skinny, dark bottle-green head which has a
broad, stiff crest at the back. Females have plain grey bodies and pale,
reddish-brown heads with a similar, though less striking, crest.
Photos - left to right, top
to bottom
Male Mallard
Male Teal
Male Wigeon
Female Tufted Duck
We
want you to record all sightings during the breeding season (roughly from
April to July), paying particular attention to birds which may be nesting
e.g. if they are obviously paired, if the female is sitting on a nest, or
if you see a brood of ducklings with the parent. Take care not to
disturb nesting birds - observe them from a distance. Please describe
locations carefully, especially if the loch or pool has no name - use a
grid reference if possible. You can also report any other species of
wildfowl during the summer months, such as swans, Greylag Geese or
Shelducks.
Please send
your records to :
SBRC, Shetland Amenity Trust, Garthspool,
Lerwick, Shetland. Tel. (01595) 694688.
Nature in Shetland
