EARLY WIGEON

This autumn, the first wigeon arrived back on our Kentish marsh in mid-september, two weeks earlier than usual. Are they likely to be birds that bred locally?

Only a small number of wigeon breed in Britain, and in Kent the wigeon is a very rare nester. Most breed in the Pennines and northern Scotland, but in winter our tiny population is augmented by huge numbers from Iceland, Fennoscandinavia and Russia. It seems likely that birds from Iceland arrive first, followed by the Scandinavian and then the Russian birds, but there’s no evidence to prove this.

It’s not unusual for a few pairs to summer in eastern England and Ireland, but confirmed cases of successful nesting are few. The BTO’S

Bird Atlas 2007-11 warns that records of possible breeding should be treated with caution. Thus it’s highly unlikely your wigeon are local birds. DT