Species Account
Extract from Bird Report 2024
Regular winter visitor and passage migrant, and has bred on very rare occasions. Included in 15% of BirdTrack lists. (Amber list).
The only signs of breeding activity came from Broom East. Display was noted on 14th February (appropriately Valentine’s Day!), and then, on 8th April, when three pairs were present, one of those pairs visited a probable nest site. Although up to three birds remained throughout the breeding season no further evidence was apparent. Elsewhere, they were at another 12 sites during the April to June period, but with no breeding activity noted.
During the January to March period most of the higher counts came from Broom East, with a peak of at least 66 on 10th January. Other counts of over 30 were 35 at Meadow Lane GP and at MCP Wetlands NR, both on 16th February, and 31 on flooded fi elds at Sandy on 5th January. Numbers dropped from April onwards, although there were counts of 15 at Dunstable WTW on 2nd April and 16 at Broom East on 7th April. Counts started to climb again in September, with peaks of at least 39 at Blunham Lakes on the 18th and 28 at Priory CP on the 8th. There was little change in flock sizes during October, with then 45 at Broom East on 1st November, before reaching the year’s highest counts during December, mostly at Meadow Lane GP, with 77 there on the 14th, then 93 (the year’s highest tally) on the 25th and 72 on the 29th.
