Local Specialities

We've had some pretty lousy weather here for the past 5 days which has been very frustrating because I've been dying to get out with the camera!
The lack of photography has however given me the chance to look through some recent shots and I'd thought I'd share a few from a couple of weeks back on a sunny afternoon spent at one of my local stomping grounds...Etherow Park.

Etherow is quite unique because it is home to a couple of species that are pretty scarce around the north of England and visitors come from far afield to tick them off their lists.
I have touched on both the following birds before in this blog, but they are a couple of beauties and I make no apologies for doing so again!

Both of the bird species were originally imported into the UK in days gone by to satisfy wildfowl collectors, but escapees have bred in the wild for many generations and are doing rather well.

First the Egyptian Goose, which as the name would suggest is a bird of African origin.
These birds have seen had a steady rise in population over the last few years, especially in the wetlands of Norfolk.
There has been a single Egyptian Goose at Etherow for a number of years, but last winter the population increased when another pair flew in from somewhere...

Next the Mandarin Duck, a very colourful bird of Asian origin.
These amazingly beautiful birds have started to populate a wide range of territories in the UK over recent years and there is a very healthy breeding population at Etherow and also in and around the River Goyt through Stockport.

Mandarins have recently been seen on the River Tame in the neighbouring Greater Manchester borough of Tameside, and I also spotted a single bird at Poynton Pool in Cheshire a few months back...Good news indeed!

Finally a rather exotic creature that has bred well at Etherow and many other local waters at a near epidemic rate...The Terrapin.
The only time you spot these reptiles is on warm sunny days when they like to bask out of the water.

It really is a bit of a mystery to why my local waters have such an abundance of Terrapins (Red-Eared I believe) but maybe it's no coincidence that this population boom started in the late 1980's around the same time as the hit children's TV craze 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'!

Terrapins are very small and cute when youngsters, but quickly outgrow their tanks and develop into a quite large animal...

Mandarin Ducks

Back to Etherow this morning and with slightly better light than yesterday, I took a few more shots of the beautiful Mandarin Ducks.
I've been watching these Ducks for a good few years now, but today I witnessed the greatest number I have seen at any one time...20!

It's interesting to note that the species is in decline in it's native Asia, but they are increasing steadily in the wild here in the UK.
Latest estimates are of around 7000 birds in Britain, which is now about the same number as Japan.


The majority of the British population of Mandarin's is in southern England, with isolated pockets further North.
I count myself very lucky to live so close to one of the very few Northern strongholds for these stunning birds.

Although the male of species really stands out with it's spectacular multi-coloured plumage, I've always found the female to be a very beautiful bird in it's own right.
At first glance you would be forgiven for thinking it's just a grey, rather drab looking bird, but on closer inspection you will notice some very subtle colouration...The white ring around the eyes really stands out against the grey/brown head and there are olive green and blue flashes on the wing tips. The female is also the more vocal of these very shy Ducks and makes a rather pleasant 'croaking' sound.

Plastic Fantastic?

A short local trip to Etherow park this morning got my mind thinking about a subject that has been a hot topic for birders and naturalists for quite some time now...So called "Plastic Birds".
Plastic is a term I happen to dislike and refers to species of birds here in the UK, which are non native or migrant...ie introduced species or escapees living in a feral state.

Last week, Greater Manchester County Bird Recorder Judith Smith was interviewed by John Craven on the popular BBC Television programme Countryfile about the plight of the Ruddy Duck in the UK.
The Ruddy Duck is a beautiful looking bird that was introduced to private Wildfowl collections in Britain in the 1930's, but escapees meant that this native North American species soon bred into many thousands.

The Duck's soon spread into mainland Europe and the real problem started when they arrived in Spain where they successfully bred with the critically endangered White Headed Duck creating hybrids which damaged the survival chances of the White Headed further more.

In 2003 a decision was made based on research by leading scientists, European Governments and major Conservation organizations to eradicate the Ruddy Duck from the UK to try and save the White Headed Duck in Spain.
A very difficult decision and one backed by the RSPB, but with UK numbers of Ruddy Ducks said to be down to around 400 and only a handful of migrant birds making it to Spain every year from these shores, should we be reconsidering the cull?

The White Headed Duck conservation effort in Spain is a great success story and one that the Spaniards are very proud of (comparable to the Red Kite in Britain) but surely with so few numbers arriving from the UK we should perhaps now be thinking of giving these birds a stay of execution.

Now what has all this got to do with my trip to Etherow Park you may ask!
Well Etherow is a stronghold for the beautifully exotic Mandarin Duck...Like the Ruddy, a introduced species (from China) but one that over the years seems to have been unofficially excepted on the British List.
Another species that can be seen at Etherow is the Egyptian Goose...Quite a rare sight in the North of England, but fairly widespread in Norfolk.
I think the Egyptian is now regarded as a 'tick' by many birders in Norfolk, but curiously not in my home County of Greater Manchester.
This time last year, there was only one Egyptian Goose at Etherow, now there are four...As far as I know they have not been introduced, so they must have arrived from elsewhere in the UK.

The Mandarin Duck, Egyptian Goose and even the very familiar Canada Goose are all regarded as "Plastic Birds" by British Birders and are classified 'No Status' by the RSPB.

The Canada Goose is as common a sight as a Mallard on British lakes, while birders will travel great distances to catch sight of Mandarin Duck and Egyptian Geese.

These particular so called plastic birds are (no matter how they got here) now very successful wild birds in their own right and I'm wondering if it's now time to reclassify them and officially accept them as British birds?