Ruddy Shelduck Shelduck
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+="( )" 5*, % *+ ,# %#8 " ) !" % Ruddy Shelduck was recorded in ten months of 20 at Cley Marsh in October. It is most and from 13 sites during 2005/06. The British likely that the majority of Ruddy Shelduck maximum of 22 was over twice that of the records originate from naturalised populations previous year. Half of the reports were of in mainland Europe. For example, numbers single birds and a further nine were of two have increased dramatically in Switzerland birds. All reports of more than two birds were over the last decade, with over 300 recorded from the North Norfolk Coast. These were of during waterbird counts there in November three at Holkham and Burnham Overy Fresh 2005, mostly in the northern half of the Marshes in January, and a record WeBS count country (V. Keller pers. comm.) "( 0 #$ -& :: 2" % - 2" 42 !+ 42 !" !+ The British Index for Shelduck dropped just coming during the moult period in July, whilst slightly in 2005/06, whilst the maximum count counts on the adjacent Dee Estuary peak in the was at its lowest for 30 years. The Northern autumn, and there is presumably a certain Ireland index, however, continues to rise as it degree of redistribution between these two has done steadily since the low in the early sites. Counts from the other sites supporting 1990s. The British monthly index shows a internationally important numbers were about peak in February following a gradual increase in line with their respective five-year means, through the winter as many birds return from with the exception of the Wash where numbers their moulting grounds in northwest Germany. continue to fall annually. A large proportion of The Mersey Estuary remained the key site the birds recorded in Northern Ireland come for the species, with the peak count again from Strangford Lough where the low tide 65 peak count was slightly above average for the period. 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Mon Mean Sites of international importance in the UK Mersey Estuary 5,740 19,810 17,823 13,420 15,605 Jul 14,480 Dee Estuary (England & Wales) 10,200 10,533 12,630 13,334 (8,872) Oct 11,674 The Wash 11,783 7,834 7,341 7,451 6,904 Feb 8,263 Morecambe Bay 6,137 7,164 8,228 7,728 (6,609) Nov 7,314 Humber Estuary 3,655 (4,819) 6,426 10 (4,188) 5,223 Aug 5,101 Solway Estuary (2,213) (4,324) 3,131 5,359 (858) Oct 4,271 Strangford Lough 4,162 4,199 10 4,475 3,801 4,451 10 Nov 4,218 Severn Estuary 3,776 3,495 10 2,579 3,460 4,482 Dec 3,558 Ribble Estuary 3,190 3,063 3,829 3,850 2,935 Sep 3,373 Forth Estuary (2,920) 3,531 3,452 3,164 11 3,063 Jul 3,303 Sites of national importance in Great Britain Thames Estuary 2,940 3,285 1,584 (2,318) (1,295) Jan 2,603 Blackwater Estuary (1,808) 2,572 1,904 2,073 (1,828) Mar 2,183 Medway Estuary (2,045) (1,257) (2,177) 2,360 10 1,949 Dec 2,162 Swale Estuary 2,342 2,290 1,818 2,207 2,138 Feb 2,159 Poole Harbour (2,221) 2,385 (2,072) 1,547 (1,857) Jan 2,056 Hamford Water 1,737 10 1,903 1,657 1,951 1,493 Jan 1,748 Crouch-Roach Estuary (478) (385) (342) 1,661 10 (397) Feb 1,661 Lindisfarne 1,546 10 1,826 1,323 10 1,773 10 1,180 10 Nov 1,530 North Norfolk Coast 2,012 10 1,182 1,112 1,110 1,283 Dec 1,340 WWT Martin Mere 950 1,435 1,150 1,510 11 965 Jan 1,202 Stour Estuary 1,258 805 957 1,296 (1,421) Feb 1,147 Montrose Basin 776 1,191 (1,240) 690 1,239 10 Jan 1,027 Alde Complex 881 945 1,124 1,025 925 Feb 980 Colne Estuary 920 (263) (804) (701) (471) Dec 920 Chichester Harbour 1,014 10 1,019 810 825 793 Feb 892 Deben Estuary 676 864 802 883 707 Jan 786 Sites of all-Ireland importance in Northern Ireland Larne Lough 776 637 633 808 880 Feb 747 Carlingford Lough (365) 493 423 452 560 Jan 482 Belfast Lough 437 199 10 494 10 489 10 347 10 Feb 393 Lough Foyle 536 232 (315) 250 392 Nov 353 Loughs Neagh and Beg 102 146 205 260 98 Feb 162 Dundrum Bay 93 99 138 330 81 Dec 148 Bann Estuary 138 87 104 92 86 Apr 101 Sites no longer meeting table qualifying levels in WeBS-Year 2005/2006 Burry Inlet 963 570 (847) 804 637 Dec 764 " *=2"( )" % *+ ,# " & % * % Muscovy Ducks were recorded at 31 sites in Fort Henry Ponds and Exton Park Lakes and 2005/06, all but four of which were in was the highest ever at this site. The summed England, the remainder being in Scotland. The site maximum of 97 was slightly below that of British maximum was just five below that of the previous year. 2004/05. The highest single-site total of 25 at 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Mon Mean Sites with mean peak counts of 5 or more birds in Great Britain Fort Henry Ponds & Exton Pk Lks 14 0 0 14 25 Nov 11 Wilderness Pond 10 12 7 10 Par Sands Pools & St Andrews Rd 20 6 8 6 4 Sep 9 Derwent Water 10 6 6 11 7 Oct 8 High Batts Recording Area 8 8 8 Other sites surpassing table qualifying levels in WeBS-Year 2005/2006 in Great Britain Ewell Court Pond 0 1 12 3 6 Nov 3 Cotswold Water Park (West) 0 0 0 0 5 Sep 1 ! # !!! $ " '! ! % !% 66 3 2"( )" % *+ ,%# " ' % Wood Ducks were recorded at ten sites in October and River Avon ± Salisbury in total, seven in England and one each in November, January and February. All other Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel records were of single birds. The record of a Islands. The highest single-site total was six at single bird in Belfast Lough in March was the Stanton Lake in June. Peak counts of two were first time that this species was recorded by noted at Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve in WeBS in Northern Ireland. % " % *+ ,)# --0 ' % 43 43 !" Following a decline over the past five years, Forest of Dean Ponds were much lower than the British index showed a sharp rise in usual (although there was only a single survey 2005/06 to a peak similar to the record peak in in December). Typically, peak counts fluctuate 2001/02. The British maximum count was also between years, but other sites recording high and the monthly indices were above notably high peak counts were Darwell average for most of the winter months. There Reservoir, Arun Valley, Allestree Park Lakes, were two three-figure counts, from Bradley Osmaston and Shirley Park Lakes, Kedleston Ponds and Headley Mill Pond, but the Park Lake and Blackbrook Reservoir. Again, supplementary counts from the combined none were recorded in Northern Ireland. 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Mon Mean Sites with mean peak counts of 10 or more birds in Great Britain. Forest of Dean Ponds 159 12 120 12 160 12 221 15 66 15 Dec 145 Bradley Pools 85 55 188 65 144 Jan 107 Headley Mill Pond 70 76 76 23 132 Feb 75 Cuttmill Ponds 98 51 59 61 66 Oct 67 Wraysbury Pond 78 63 11 61 51 48 Dec 60 Busbridge Lakes 54 47 72 58 Stockgrove Country Park 54 70 43 56 Bough Beech Reservoir 77 46 33 46 56 46 60 46 45 46 Oct 54 Dee Flood Meadows 79 49 32 42 36 Sep 48 Darwell Reservoir 43 25 56 13 58 Oct 39 Passfield Pond 14 67 73 16 15 Feb 37 Arun Valley 28 41 32 27 47 Dec 35 Connaught Wtr (Epping Forest) 26 31 44 32 27 Nov 32 67 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Mon Mean River Thames at Staines Bridge 31 31 Harewood Lake 11 53 35 31 15 Sep 29 Sutton Place 44 21 32 20 4 Sep 24 Fonthill Lake 17 18 20 38 22 Feb 23 Lost/Golding & Baldwins Hill Pnds 10 78 5 12 1 Aug 21 Paultons Bird Park 21 20 21 Severn Estuary 65 28 3 4 5 Sep 21 Osterley Park Lakes 13 20 19 31 18 Jul 20 Strawberry Hill Ponds 7 30 23 15 11 Nov 17 Linacre Reservoirs 5 14 17 23 23 Nov 16 Panshanger Estate 16 24 12 11 16 Oct 16 Woburn Park Lakes 12 24 8 6 18 Jun 14 Allestree Park Lakes 4 5 5 37 Dec 13 Swanbourne Lake 4 13 5 18 18 Aug 12 Eversley Cross & Yateley GPs 9 6 9 25 4 Jan 11 Other sites surpassing table qualifying levels in WeBS-Year 2005/2006 in Great Britain. Osmaston & Shirley Park Lakes 0 2 0 0 28 Sep 6 Kedleston Park Lake 0 1 0 14 24 Jan 8 Blackbrook Reservoir 1 0 2 2 17 Nov 4 River Test - Broadlands Estate 6 9 4 9 15 Mar 9 Hampstead and Highgate Ponds 4 5 9 8 13 Oct 8 Longueville Marsh 0 0 6 25 13 Dec 9 Aldenham Reservoir 0 3 5 11 Jan 5 Buckhurst Hill Ponds 0 11 11 2 10 Nov 7 River Test: Fullerton/Stockbridge 8 2 0 2 10 Jan 4 ! # !!! $ " 4(! ! % !% 3 , - & #$ -- - 2" % 00 !" 8( - 8( !" - 68 The appearance of the British annual index has with numbers only returning to average in changed somewhat to those published in January and February.