Gadwall

The Gadwall is one of the most common and widespread dabbling ducks. The breeding male is patterned grey with a black rear end, light chestnut wings and a brilliant white speculum which is obvious in flight or at rest. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the male looks more like the female but retains the male wing pattern and is usually greyer above and has less orange on the bill. The female is light brown with plumage much like a female Mallard. It can be distinguished from that species by the dark orange-edged bill, smaller size, the white speculum and white belly.

The Gadwall breeds in north Europe and Asia and central north America and appears to be expanding into eastern north America. It is a bird of open wetlands and lakes, wet grassland or marshes with dense fringing vegetation and it nests on the ground, often some distance from water.

In the UK, the Gadwall is a scarce breeding bird on some lakes and gravel pits in the Midlands, south east England, eastern central Scotland, eastern Northern Ireland and south east Wales. In winter, numbers increase as birds migrate to spend the winter in the UK on gravel pits, lakes, reservoirs and coastal wetlands.

Date: 9th April 2017

Location: EWT Blue House Farm, North Fambridge, Essex