Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

In spring and early summer, it is normal to see more male ducks than female ducks. The females do all the incubation of the eggs and are well hidden on their nests. In contrast the brightly coloured males are easy to spot and spend time in the open where they are easy to see. With mallard it is common behaviour in spring for several males to chase and attempt to mate with any duck that shows itself. The fact that mallard are common birds shows that, whilst we may not like watching this apparently destructive and aggressive behaviour, it does not affect the mallard’s overall breeding success and we should not try and intervene.

Picture by Terry Postle

If you find a bird that has been ringed please contact the Ringing Unit at the British Trust for Ornithology. If the bird is large you may be able to read the ring without handling it. However, it will be difficult to do this on a small bird, in this case it is ok to pick them up but remember to wash your hands and any equipment you used to handle the dead bird.
 
Please report the ring number and if the bird is dead send the ring along with your letter. Provide as much information as you can about the location of where the bird was found, for example, the nearest town/ grid reference. Also include the date you found the bird and the species if it is known. If the bird was dead please also include any information on the cause of death. Also include your details so the BTO can be in contact.

BTO – Report a bird ring 
 
In the interests of monitoring and understanding the spread of avian influenza (bird flu), Defra ask that you report any dead waterfowl (swans, geese, ducks), gulls, or birds of prey you find. You should also report any other dead wild birds you find in numbers of five or more. You can contact them on the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77). Do not touch or handle the dead bird if you can avoid it, but if you must, wash your hands thoroughly as soon as possible, keeping your hands away from your face and any food.


If the bird is a pigeon - rings can be reported to The Royal Pigeon Racing Association
 
Please remember to wash your hands after handling any dead bird.  

 

In the interests of monitoring and understanding the spread of avian influenza (bird flu), Defra ask that you report any dead waterfowl (swans, geese, ducks), gulls, or birds of prey you find. You should also report any other dead wild birds you find in numbers of five or more. You can contact them on the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77). Do not touch or handle the dead bird.

Picture by Julian Thomas

The British Trust for Ornithology carries out many surveys to monitor bird populations and actively seeks assistance from members of the public. For more information, go to their website at www.bto.org. Alternatively you can take part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch which normally takes place in January.  

Picture by Pat Adams

 

The numbers of duck wintering on the Broads and other waterbodies across East Anglia are influenced by weather conditions. With climate change, we are seeing a series of increasingly mild winters. Under such conditions, many visiting wildfowl are 'short stopping' on their migration, which means that they are now wintering further north and east than they used to. If we get a particularly cold winter, with waterbodies elsewhere in Europe freezing over, then we will see the numbers of wildfowl here in the UK increase. Data from the Wetland Bird Survey, coordinated by BTO, have been used to provide scientific evidence of this phenomenon and of short-stopping, both for wildfowl and many wader species. 

Picture by Elizabeth Dack

Although bread isn't harmful the general advice is to only feed small amounts to birds. It is better for the ducks to be fed a variety of different food including bird seed, porridge, oats, sweetcorn and defrosted frozen peas.

Picture by John Lincoln