Latest RSPB press release of relevance (although I own up to the headline)....I usually glaze over after counting the first few hundred of the whistling horde, so well done to Graham for persevering...
Record numbers of wigeons are spending the winter on the RSPB’s Marshside nature reserve near Southport – creating a wonderful wildlife spectacle for reserve visitors.
Recorders taking part in the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) counted an amazing18,049 wigeon on the reserve and nearby Crossens inner marsh in just one day earlier this month. The previous record was 14,000 in December 2004.
The Ribble Estuary is the UK'S top site for wigeon, with the average number of birds topping 69,390 in a five-year period from 1999.
One of the recorders was Graham Clarkson, assistant warden at Marshside, who said: “Despite its relatively small size compared to the whole of the estuary, Marshside is currently hosting around a quarter of all the wigeons living on the estuary.
“It’s an amazing sight to see thousands of birds all nibbling away at the grass on the reserve. Wigeons are actually ducks but they act more like small geese in this respect.
“We believe that more wigeons are using the reserve than ever before because we keep the grass at just the right height for them to graze,” he added.
The threshold for a single site to be of international importance for wigeon is 15,000, Marshside has exceeded this on this count.
Wigeon facts:
* The majority of wigeons wintering on the Ribble breed in Iceland and arrive back in Lancashire in big flocks in October.
* Male wigeons have an evocative whistling call that can be heard on the wintering grounds throughout the night.
* Small numbers of this primarily sub-Arctic breeding species breed in Northern England and Scotland.
* Wigeons can be seen from Nel's and Sandgrounder's hides at Marshside between October and April.
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