In this article, Ranger Mel takes a look at two of our more common sights seen on and around our North Kent coast, the Mute Swan and the Mallard Duck, and what we can do to help them as they do their best to raise their young.
We generally write (and talk, when we can) about trying to lessen the potential disturbance to our coastal migratory waders, ducks and. This year has been completely different; the birds are doing what they usually do – but human behaviours, having been curtailed for so long, are about to change again.
The coastal regions experienced a lockdown ‘surge’ last summer as the first restrictions lifted and this has given environmentalists some cause for concern should the same occur this spring, which is very likely – and also understandable. We’ve all been cooped up for a long time and who doesn’t want to get out there and explore once again. What we are hoping though, is that those visiting the coastal areas spare a thought for all of our ground-nesting bird species who, by all accounts, have been having a whale of a time without us!
In a previous blog, we’ve written about protecting (by adjusting our walking behaviours) the needs of those smaller UK ground-nesting populations who aren’t flying back to the Arctic tundra this spring. We’ve previously talked about Lapwings, Oystercatchers and Redshanks; just 3 species on a quite long ground-nesting list.
We want now to take a quick look at those two old favourites, the Mute swan and the Mallard duck, both of which will make their ground nests all over the UK – wherever there is water to hand.
Although we may see up to 3 different species of swan in the UK, the Mute is the only resident – meaning they are seen all year round because they live and breed here. That said, many more will arrive in winter from the continent. BTO data for 2016 states that the summer UK population was 7,000 breeding pairs, climbing to 53,000 individuals in winter.
Is it true that all Mute swans swimming on open water belong to Her Majesty the Queen?…yes it is, and this goes back to the 12th century (we’ve checked the royal website!). They are highly protected but unfortunately this doesn’t stop them from sometimes becoming the target for some very cruel human harassment and disturbance, although, one of the main issues they face is entanglement in discarded fishing line and poisoning from eating lead shot. These majestic birds need our help as much as any species we write about.
The adults don’t have any natural predators here although occasionally may be taken by a fox if they are roosting in a fox-accessible location. An increase in recreational kayaking has become a growing problem for them and it is advised that kayakers give them as much space as possible, especially during the breeding season. I had my own ‘charging’ experience some time ago when collecting water samples from a dingy on a Norfolk lake. We hadn’t seen it so were a bit surprised as it came charging and wing-beating over the water towards us at incredible speed. Thankfully they forgave us our accidental encroachment into their territory and, later in the day, cruised by with offspring, allowing us to take some lovely photos.
So, what about their mating and nesting habits. They mate for life and the male (cob) supplies the building materials for the female (pen) to build the nest. It consists of a big pile of mixed vegetation – grasses, rushes and sticks – constructed at the waters’ edge. In late April – early May she will lay up to 7 eggs and, following incubation, these will hatch about 35-41 days later. Both are devoted parents. Have you ever seen cygnets riding on their parent’s back? It’s one of those great ‘once seen, never forgotten’ wildlife sights. The youngsters will be encouraged (chased even) away from their nursery site at around 6 months.
So, the take home message here is to give swans a respectful distance if you are on the water and look out for their nests during the breeding season, keeping dogs on leads near the banks of water bodies. Recently we were contacted by some concerned residents who had witnessed children throwing stones at a pair of swans nesting on a creek close to some housing. Tragically this human disturbance caused the pair to abandon their nest and the chicks would not have survived as the eggs succumbed to the cold. Teaching our children to respect nature is so important.
Now onto the beautiful Mallard – the most common duck in Britain and seen on lakes, ponds, rivers, canals and streams all over our county. Everybody knows the Mallard, the male sporting such a stunning iridescent green head plumage. The female; well, like many female birds, she is brownish and less distinctive, although both sexes exhibit the bright blue, speculum flash on their wings – which can be seen both in flight and when they are on the water dabbling. This is the most used identifier for female Mallards.
So, nesting, breeding and disturbance; what is their story? If you happen to have a copy of the Kent Breeding Bird Atlas and look at the page on Mallards, you will see a map of Kent covered in coloured dots, all in lines, as though on a grid.
(Photo source: Kent Breeding Bird Atlas 2008-13)
These dots represent survey areas where a particular bird species has been recorded, and are referred to as ‘tetrads’. Tetrads are groupings of 4, one kilometre square…squares (hence the name) thus, a 2km-by-2km area. They are commonly used with reference to the British Ordnance Survey national grid and the county of Kent has 1001 of these tetrad squares. The atlas uses different coloured dots in each tetrad to denote whether a particular species was recorded and in which survey years. It’s then very easy to compare gains and losses within a species over the years and, comparing maps for different species, you can easily see how some birds proliferate and how rare others are.
So, looking once again at the Mallard’s map, you can see that these birds are found wherever there is water, with the exception of the North Downs where streams and water bodies are not so common.
Their nesting habits bring them into very close contact with humans and some people have nesting pairs in their gardens, outhouses, boathouses, haystacks, large flowerpots….you name it…The female lines her ground nest with feathers plucked from her breast and eggs (about 12) are laid between mid-March and the end of July – at one- or two-day intervals. It’s a challenging feat to lay so many eggs over 2 weeks and she relies very much on her mate at this time to protect her and their area. She begins incubation after the last egg is laid and they all hatch together about 4 weeks later. Because it takes her some time before incubation begins her eggs are vulnerable and the golden rule is, if you find a nest with eggs which look abandoned…it probably isn’t. Don’t interfere with it, the parents will be close by.
Again, since their nests are common and widespread, please do keep your eyes open for ducks that may be nesting and keep yourselves and dogs to the footpath. Ducklings cannot survive without their mother and need constant care for about 9 weeks before they are independent enough to fledge.
If the female has nested some distance from water and needs to make the journey back after her chicks have hatched, you can think about intervening as a traffic warden if they need to cross any roads…