Apparent 1st-summer female Redhead at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre 2 May 2006

All images are of the 1st summer female Redhead at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre 2 May 2006 M.J.McGill. The pale feathering at the base of the bill is exaggerated by the digital camera. It is not as pale in the field.

I discovered the bird at 0740 while checking the Lapwing nests from the Hogarth Hide. It is keeping company with Tufted Ducks and proved to be very mobile through the day. It has been seen on most of the favoured Tufted Duck pools and lakes today that are sheltered (it was very windy). It is unringed, fully winged and wary. It did fly off with Tufted Ducks on most occasions and seems to mirror what they do and where they go. This is not unusual for lost or single ducks. The lake adjacent to the centre is one of the best places on the whole 800 acre site for Tufted Duck and has held many Greater Scaup, Smew and even Ring-necked Duck in the past. I have seen many species of wild duck, geese and swans in the collection area where there fear is less or non-existent of humans, this is likely to be down to the calm behaviour of the other species present. There are two rather inbred female Redhead on the centre pond where it turned up this afternoon. Up to 250 Tufted use it in the winter with 30-40 present in the spring/early summer.

A reminder of one WWT ringing recovery concerns a male Ring-necked Duck at Slimbridge (the second for Glos after Phillipa Scott's first for the Western Palearctic 12-14 March1955, also in the enclosures) was trapped and ringed on 1 March1977 and was recovered in south east Greenland on 23 May 1977. This proved the return migration attempt of this transatlantic traveler.

There are no Pochard on site to compare as they all departed weeks ago but we have captive adult Redhead in the collection. These are all likely to be from the same lineage so do not vary as much as wild birds. No Redhead were reared in the summer of 2005 so this bird is not from Slimbridge, all ducks are hand reared at WWT Slimbridge.

It was seen back on the lake next to the centre this afternoon before flighting to the South Lake where it was still present at 1840. It will be searched for in the morning. M.J.McGill.