Gadwall

Gadwall Mareca strepera

Fairly common though localised breeding species and winter visitor. Numbers have increased since the 1980s. 

Gadwall 270509 MarstonSTW DaveMorisonGadwallPairGPC1Gadwall 100416 Grainthorpe MarkDJohnson

 

     Gadwall: left, Marston STW May 27th 2009 (Dave Morison); centre, Barton Pits March 6th 2013 (Graham Catley); right, Grainthorpe April 10th 2016 (Mark Johnson).

 

Gadwall only started to summer in Lincolnshire from the beginning of the 1970s, having formerly been winter visitors from Germany.  They began breeding more frequently in the 1980s and the Atlas estimated the breeding population at 50 pairs and a wintering population of 400 birds in the late 1980s growing to 850 in winter by 1996. It has since become much more widespread in the 10 years to 2019. BBS data for England suggests the population has tripled since 1994 and it is likely that the breeding population is now in the region of 150 to 200 pairs. LBR reports indicate the wintering population is now over 1,200 birds.

 

(Account as per new Birds of Lincolnshire (2021), included September 2022)

 

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We are the Lincolnshire Bird Club. Our aims are to encourage and further the interest in the birdlife of the historic County of Lincolnshire; to participate in organised fieldwork activities; to collect and publish information on bird movements, behaviour, distribution and populations; to encourage conservation of the wildlife of the County and to provide sound information on which conservation policies can be based.

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