We’ve had to wait longer than normal this spring, but Garganey have once again returned to Saltholme. Fewer than 100 pairs of Garganey breed in the UK, so our 5 pairs last year make this a special bird for us. We estimated that those 5 pairs produced 5 fledged young, which is not very productive. However, I use the term 'estimate' because the trouble with Garganey is that they are incredibly secretive.
Male Garganey by Ed Pritchard
Although the males are very obvious birds out in the open, they and the dare I say boring brown females, do like to hide away. Finding Garganey nests is a skill I am yet to master, as every year, I see birds arrive, then they hide, then months later we suddenly see full grown juveniles. Only in 2014, did we manage to see two clutches of small chicks in the Wildlife Watchpoint Cut.......a real treat. So it was nice to see a very bright male at the Wildlife Watchpoint Hide yesterday morning at 6 am. The white eye stripes were so prominent they looked like they had been stuck on by a duck maker who hadn't used strong enough glue. The bird then disappeared from view and wasn’t seen all day..............until I returned at the end of the day to lock the hide, and then it only came into view as a Great-crested Grebe chased it out of the reeds. There are also birds on the Wet Grassland and at Bottom Tank. If you haven’t seen a Garganey, you must come to Saltholme and see these very special breeding birds.