anser2 Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Well the summer is getting on a bit now so what sort of breeding season look like up and down the country? Here its N Norfolk its a bit hit and miss. Many early broods lost in the cold spring\early summer weather and quite a few small broods 2-3 feathered mallard ducklings about. Over the past few days I have been down on the Broads and saw a few flying yong mallard. One or two very good broods on the Alde ( Suffolk ) , but not many in the small area I looked at. Some well feathered mallard ducklings by the Snape Maltings , but they were obviously used to being fed by visitors and as with most tame village pond ducklings the survival rate is a lot higher than with ducklings out in the wild. I knew of 3 shoveller broods hatched in May, but all have been lost and as yet I have not seen any gadwall broods , but a friend saw one of 4 half feathered ducklings this week in the Broads and a nice brood of shoveller. The first brood of tufted ducklings only apeared last week and the female had 7 tiny duckling. I only know of 2 pochard nests , one was predated and as yet I am not sure what is happening with the other. Like the duck the greylag are having mixed fortunes. A lot of small broods of 2s and 3s , but I know one of 16 ( probably a result of 2 females laying in the same nest. Though they only have two parents with them. In contrast the shielduck have done very well with a lot of half feathered young about. Overall in my area it does not look like its been a good breeding season , just ok and could have been a lot worse considering the cold April, May and June. So whats the season like in your area ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 Very similar to your observations anser2 , up until now I haven't seen any young duck on the wing , although in a couple of weeks time things could be looking up ( or down ) as what young duck would be about would be later broods rather than early , as I have felt the effects of the cold spring and no doubt so have any young duck being hatched off at that time . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muncher Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 Just seen on my drive around a lot of Tuffted ducklings so if it stays nice they should do well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reabrook Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Much the same here in the SW however second broods look to be doing reasonably well. I've seen more recently hatched ducklings in the last two weeks than I have all year. Likewise the first Tufty broods are starting to appear along with a few Gadwall. Greylags in Slimbridge look to have had a very good year despite WWTs hand being against them. Canada's are about in reasonable numbers but nowhere near pre GL. Mallard in the local park are normally prolific but have been hammered by a large colony of gulls that have taken up residence on the river to the point I've hardly seen a duckling and those I have have not got past a week old! That said I've had well feathered young of the year feeding on two flight ponds for the last few weeks so they've had some success somewhere. Out fishing two weeks ago the local lake was stuffed with teal on dark. We don't usually see (or hear them in this case) before August at the earliest. Overall it doesn't look to have been to bad a breeding season but I suppose it could also have been a lot worse! Edited July 9, 2015 by Reabrook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted July 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Further survey work in on the N Norfolk coast this morning on a number of pools over 35 acres of fresh water marshland found three broods of mallard of 4.3.2 , the latter only a couple of days old and two broods of gadwall both of 4 and a tufted duck with 6 one week old ducklings. Interesting what Reabrook is saying on teal as 7 on the marsh this morning and thats about a month before we usually start to see them. Could have been local resident birds though as two were this years flying youngsters , but they certantly did not breed on the marsh I was counting as apart from one little party of 3 drakes a month ago there have been no teal seen since early April there. ( The marsh is surveyed every week.) A party of 14 spoonbills made a nice sight with the avocets this morning. Edited July 9, 2015 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 Mallard doing ok here, but mainly second broods. We have 2 broods on our flight pond totalling 9. Also good numbers on the canal and local ponds. I also am seeing numbers of teal flighting in on dark, they do seem to be resident birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 I was at Holme on the N Norfolk coast yesterday evening. A mallard hen walked past with 6 youngsters in tow, which couldn't have been very old. A few minutes later I drove slowly past another hen with some fully grown youngsters. This would indicate that the mallard have bred reasonably well around there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 Well talking here at home we had big early broods that disappeared, then very little. This is inland of the coast someway. Are issue has been stoats in the main I feel as the rabbits are practically non existent, the waders have tried and tried again and came in their biggest number ever but the rain and the aforementioned stoats have reeked havoc. We had a pair of Canadas nesting for a first but it seems some moron nearby decided they should be shot as they did the greylag I have designed and built a new design of fully galvanised duck tunnel and these are now in use on Westmorland, those seem to be doing ok and should make cleaning out and re-stuffing a lot simpler and last practically indefinitely. Besides a few hotspots its getting rarer to even see a Canada and this should be noted in reference to the calls from those who still have a desire to shoot geese in the breeding season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 The resident Canada goose population here has declined massively over the last few years, summers gone by an early morning mooch with the dogs would see and hear loads but now I see few, but there does seem to be an increase in the Greys. I will be doing my bit for the local Mallard population this weekend as I have 71 fully feathered birds to go to the pond, these are all hatched from egss collected from wild birds- legally! It is amazing the difference between these birds and bought in reared duck, the wild birds very quickly revert back to there wild form and if all goes to plan most will have left our pond come late August to find there own bit of ground. In the last 5 seasons we have put down over 350 mallard, and every year they get a different coloured ring, I shot a bird last season from our very 1st lot we put down so it goes to show it's working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reabrook Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 I have designed and built a new design of fully galvanised duck tunnel and these are now in use on Westmorland, those seem to be doing ok and should make cleaning out and re-stuffing a lot simpler and last practically Do you have any pictures of the new design duck tunnel that Westmoreland are using? How do they improve on the tried and tested hay and wire originals that have so far stood the test of time. As we are about to embark on a major tunnel build I'd be interested in any improvements we can make before they are placed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 Do you have any pictures of the new design duck tunnel that Westmoreland are using? How do they improve on the tried and tested hay and wire originals that have so far stood the test of time. As we are about to embark on a major tunnel build I'd be interested in any improvements we can make before they are placed out. The actual tunnel remains the same. The difference is the whole support arms and post arrangement leads to longer life. no displacement of tunnel from frame, drooping etc and easier / quicker re-stuffing. I am not currently a trade member of PW but have PMd you my Facebook page, pictures in the timeline of the design and assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reabrook Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 The actual tunnel remains the same. The difference is the whole support arms and post arrangement leads to longer life. no displacement of tunnel from frame, drooping etc and easier / quicker re-stuffing. I am not currently a trade member of PW but have PMd you my Facebook page, pictures in the timeline of the design and assembly. Seen. Thanks for the link. Not exactly what I'd call a redesign. It's exactly what we've been making for a while only from scrap materials. Whilst I take the point over possible longevity surely production costs would out weigh that advantage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Seen. Thanks for the link. Not exactly what I'd call a redesign. It's exactly what we've been making for a while only from scrap materials. Whilst I take the point over possible longevity surely production costs would out weigh that advantage? not to be honest, I can make these pretty darn fast and cheap and most importantly in quantity it was not the intention for them to big a money spinner just get more out there and hence more duck. Its the very latest Delta wildfowl pattern improved slightly . Somebody needs 100 off can be supplied a couple of weeks, Try scrounging enough scrap wood to sort that and the manpower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reabrook Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 It's exactly what we've been making for a while only from scrap materials. /quote] My last post on this as it's taking things away from the OP but you must of missed this part of my post! We haven't used wood for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted July 12, 2015 Report Share Posted July 12, 2015 calm down there is such a thing as scrap wood and that's how most make them, the plans are available from Delta wildfowl I am not claiming any copyright. If someone wanted 100 plus doing could they come to someone and get them? yes The ultimate goal should be can we get all the breeding grounds using them? Although the female tends to come back to nest within very close proximity to were she herself hatched, she might spend the winter and feed many miles away from this place. So to improve our duck numbers we must encourage more than a few wildfowling clubs, they need to be on reserves and other un-shot places, this is slowly happening and is good for the whole of society if they carry a gun or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 My concern with the duck nesting tubes is that someone else reaps the benefit, undoing all the work the more conservation minded wildfowlers/ duck shooters put into these projects. All it takes is a flight pond or two within flighting range and all those home bred nest tube hatched mallard end up in someone else freezer. To really boost thew wild mallard population maybe we should be looking more towards the US system, where feeding to attract wildfowl is illegal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 My concern with the duck nesting tubes is that someone else reaps the benefit, undoing all the work the more conservation minded wildfowlers/ duck shooters put into these projects. All it takes is a flight pond or two within flighting range and all those home bred nest tube hatched mallard end up in someone else freezer. To really boost thew wild mallard population maybe we should be looking more towards the US system, where feeding to attract wildfowl is illegal. Yes, but its that attitude to tunnels that holds us back. Why not speak to your local reserves and foster better relations by siting them there others have. We need cross country cooperation, if it comes and I think it will it will be winners all round. It has some similarity with catch and release fishing, why release it for others to catch when you can bonk it on the head? Difficult one isn't it and I see both sides. Thing is if you put out tunnels they will pay you back in time at the same time as others gain why spite yourself because someone might free load. I shoot one marsh were inland fed ponds are a big issue but if it were not for those fed pons we might not get anything like the numbers we get when fresh water freezes. "six o' one half a dozen of t'other" IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 8, 2015 Report Share Posted August 8, 2015 Update on ansers2 first post on 8th July We have now had a few years of average to below average breeding seasons for Mallard and this year looks well below average with one or two broods still nowhere near on the wing and it will be well into September before we will see them flying . Canada Geese are also thin on the ground round these parts with the big flocks either dead or dispersed round the countryside Greylag seem to be holding there own round the Broadland areas with the visitors feeding them bread, and until Sept 1st they treat humans as friends and not the enemy . We don't get to many Teal and other species of duck till later on in the season, but the Broads seems to be holding a healthy amount of diving duck and Coots So with only three weeks to go YOU might be seeing the reverse , if so let us know . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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