In the market for a rare sight
Leadenhall Market’s ornate Victorian architecture gives an enchanting glimpse into the colourful past of the City of London.
The splendid galleries stand on the site where mayor Dick Whittington built the first marketplace in medieval times and, centuries before, it was a bustling Roman meeting place.
On those odd occasions when I managed a lunch break while working on a busy newsdesk nearby, I’d recharge my batteries wandering among the crafted columns and glass canopies, oblivious to how the market has played its part in ornithological history.
Back in the 1800s, Leadenhall was the most famous poultry market in the country with all manner of game, waders and wildfowl sold daily.
It was in the winter of 1837 that a certain Mr Bartlett – his first name lost in the mists of time – purchased an odd-looking bird from a display of shot-for-the-pot ducks, believing it to be a variety of wigeon. The bird would go on to become a collector’s item and the unfortunate animal, said to have been blasted in the Lincolnshire marshes, identified as an American wigeon – the first ever recorded in Britain.
Two centuries on, American wigeons are classed as “scarce visitors” to the UK, with only 29 birds counted in 2019 – the males in their dandy plumage make them easy to separate from their European cousins.
Across the Atlantic, American wigeons are often called baldpates, a nod to the male’s striking white crown, which makes them look thin on top.
By contrast, male Eurasian wigeons have creamy-yellow quiffs. Donald Trump comes to mind.
Over a lifetime’s birding, I have seen many an American wigeon on both sides of the Pond, but only this month did I finally catch up with the species in my home county of Bedfordshire as it fed among a flock of Old World counterparts.
While American wigeons are prolific grazers, if hunger bites they will often head for deep water to steal food from diving ducks.
They’re rare visitors to the UK, with only 29 counted in 2019