I've just received a phone call from one of our regular observers in Reedbed Hide who is watching a female tufted duck with 6 gorgeous little ducklings on the mere. I was 99% sure TUs had bred this year, having watched the female make her way into the reeds after feeding on/in the mere, and it is great to have absolute proof without getting the boat out. This is the second time tufted ducks have bred on the reserve; a pair reared a brood in 1994. Let's hope the young escape the attentions of the predators.