Species Account
Bird Report 2024
Common resident but declining. Included in 50.8% of BirdTrack lists. Th e East of Englandlong-term trend is decreasing –4%. (Amber list).
Th e first noted ducklings were at Ampthill Park on 22nd March. Further broods were at another 25 sites but were undoubtedly under-recorded.
During January, all the highest counts came from either Priory CP or Woburn Park, including peaks of 184 at Priory CP on the 11th and 170 at Woburn Park on the 17th. Away from those two sites, the best was 100 at MCP Wetlands NR on the 20th. In February, the ten best counts were again from Priory CP, with a peak of 102 on the 2nd. It was the same picture through to July with, in March, 123 at Woburn Park on the 13th and 85 at Priory CP on the 29th; in April the highest figure at Woburn Park was 101 on the 6th, and that at Priory CP was 76 on the 5th. In the May to July period the 37 highest counts were again all from either Priory CP or Woburn Park, including 191 at the former on 26th July and 133 at the latter on 23rd June. By August good numbers were also evident elsewhere, including 343 at Broom East on the 31st, 162 on the River Ouse through Bedford on the 28th and 160 at Broom South Quarry on the 18th, and by then 195 at Woburn Park on the 31st. From September onwards the peak count was 300 at Broom East on the 20th, with high counts again at Woburn Park, with 193 on 15th October, and at Priory CP, with 180 on 28th October. Elsewhere, there were 156 in the Battlesden Lake area on 18th November and 127 on the River Ouse through Bedford on 17th November.
