To tick or not to tick, that is the question

The sight of some species of waterfowl at Attenborough can cause a bit of a dilemma for birdwatchers, writes nature centre manager TIM SEXTON

IF you hear plastic ducks being mentioned at Attenborough Nature Reserve, then you’ll probably think of the yellow toys you play with in the bath. However, in birdwatching circles, the term “plastic” is used to describe an escapee, or a bird of dubious origin. It is most frequently used in conversations about rare or exotic ducks that have turned up in locations far away from their normal range.

In the last week, a Cape shelduck, a species endemic to South Africa, joined three ruddy shelduck, normally found from south-east Europe to Asia, along with a black swan (from Australia) to create an exotic collection of waterfowl to rival that of St James’s Park.

The bright orange shelducks have certainly added a splash of colour to the mostly dull brown resident ducks and geese, currently undergoing their post-breeding moult on the reserve. However, for the local birdwatchers there is the dilemma of whether or not to “tick” such birds (adding them to their list of birds seen in the UK).

The keeping and breeding of exotic water fowl has long been a popular hobby, especially on large country estates in the Victorian era. Extensive collections of exotic ducks, geese and swans can be found throughout the UK. Inevitably, a number of these wildfowl escape into the wild and establish local populations of feral non-native birds.

While the black swan and cape shelduck are obvious escapees from collections, the origin of ruddy shelduck in the UK is not always so clear. There are three main feral (introduced) breeding populations in Europe; Moscow, Ukraine and Switzerland. There is also a large gathering of birds in the Netherlands that go there each summer in order to moult.

While it is not known exactly where the Dutch birds come from, there is a view that some are genuine wild birds from south-east Europe.

This could mean that the records in Britain, and perhaps even the three at Attenborough, could be a mixture of escapes from captivity and birds that have either overshot Holland on their way to moult, or birds dispersing from Holland after moulting – leaving it ultimately down to the conscience of the birdwatcher to decide whether to tick them or not.

If all of this seems rather confusing and you would rather see a genuine wild rarity, then two male garganey (a scarce species of duck that visits the UK for the summer) have been present on the Tween Pond/ridge and Furrow area of the reserve for at least the last fortnight.

Why not “tick” them on your next visit to Attenborough?