Anas crecca – CORHWYADEN – Common winter visitor, passage migrant and scarce breeder


Anas crecca – CORHWYADEN – Common winter visitor, passage migrant and scarce breeder
Anas crecca – CORHWYADEN – Common winter visitor, passage migrant and scarce breeder
Historically the teal has only sporadically bred in Pembrokeshire. It was found breeding at just one locality during the 1984-88 survey. None were found nesting during the survey of 2003-07, although there was a single record of a bird displaying at Marloes Mere.
Graham Rees (County bird recorder 1981 to 2007)
Rees, et al. 2008, Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pembrokeshire 2003-07. Pembrokeshire Bird Group.
Anas crecca – CORHWYADEN – Common winter visitor, passage migrant and scarce breeder
1984-88 | |
Breeding confirmed | 1 |
Breeding probable | |
Breeding possible | 1 |
No of tetrads occupied | 2 (of 478) |
Percentage of tetrads | <1% |
The status of the Teal has probably changed very little from that recorded by both Mathew (1894) and Lockley et al (1949).
It has bred in a variety of localities over the years, but has probably not nested annually.
It is common throughout the winter, when small groups are distributed widely at farm irrigation reservoirs and waters such as Bosherston Pools and Pembroke Mill Pond. There are usually concentrations of 200 or more on the Pentood Marshes and 300 or more at Marloes Mere but the main concentration is found on the Cleddau Estuary, particularly upstream from Daucleddau. They arrive from July, slowly building up to peak numbers in December and January, then depleting slowly through February with a sudden exodus from late March to early April. The average Cleddau Estuary peak count for 1983-87 was 2028 and for 1988-92 was 2425.
Extensive ringing conducted at Orielton from 1937 to 1961 has shown that many of the Teal that occur in Pembrokeshire in the winter later breed on the Western Siberian Plain, extending as far as 61 degrees each beyond the Pechora River. They pass down through the Baltic area and, having arrived in Pembrokeshire, stay for the winter, but others travel west to Ireland or southwards to France, Portugal and Spain, while yet others spread north and east across Wales, and into south England.
Males of the American race A c carolinensis were noted at Rosehill Marsh on 30th January 1972 and at the Gann on 22-27 April 1977 and 2 March 1986.
Anas crecca – CORHWYADEN – Common winter visitor, passage migrant and scarce breeder
The BTO winter atlas showed that Teals were present in the majority of 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.
The darker the colour, the higher the relative total count for each 10km square. The darkest blue represents over 150 birds seen in a day.
The map demonstrates the variation between numbers of National Importance at the Cleddau Estuary and the occurrence of two or three birds on small ponds.
Graham Rees (County bird recorder 1981 to 2007)
Data collected by volunteers for the BTO. Lack, P. 1986 Atlas of wintering birds in Britain and Ireland. T & A.D. Poyser.
Red = breeding confirmed
Orange = breeding probable
Yellow = breeding possible
Data collected by volunteers for the BTO. Sharrock, J.T.R., (1977). The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland. T. & A.D. Poyser.
Anas crecca crecca
Common winter visitor, abundant at Orielton Decoy. Mathew believed it might breed in suitable places. Recorded as breeding Pembroke area (W.F.Bentley) and Fishguard (R.Dougal). J.Wynne found a nest near Angle, where Bertram Lloyd records a few pairs breeding. Seen St Davids in June 1948.
Querquedula crecca
A common winter visitor; perhaps, also a resident in limited numbers.
Although we have no evidence that it does so, we consider it extremely likely that a few pairs of Teal may nest annually in suitable places in the county. Every winter little flocks of Teal made their appearance on the Cleddy beneath Stone Hall, where it was comparatively easy to get shots at them by following the river in its windings, as the birds generally dropped into corners of the stream where willows and rushes afforded shelter. Very frequently, too, we used to come across single Teal when after Snipe, flushing them from drains, warm ditches, and small rush-bordered pools, thus adding variety to our bag. A buff-coloured Teal in the National Collection at South Kensington was presented by Lord Cawdor, and came from Stackpole.
Anas crecca – CORHWYADEN – Common winter visitor, passage migrant and scarce breeder
The latest totals from the Wetland Bird Survey in Pembrokeshire – and the average counts for the past ten seasons.
Anas crecca – CORHWYADEN – Common winter visitor, passage migrant and scarce breeder Historically the teal has only sporadically bred in Pembrokeshire. It was found breeding at just one locality during the 1984-88 survey. None were found nesting during the survey of 2003-07, although there was a single record of a bird displaying at Marloes […]
Anas crecca – CORHWYADEN – Common winter visitor, passage migrant and scarce breeder 1984-88 Breeding confirmed 1 Breeding probable Breeding possible 1 No of tetrads occupied 2 (of 478) Percentage of tetrads <1% The status of the Teal has probably changed very little from that recorded by both Mathew (1894) and Lockley et al (1949). […]
Anas crecca – CORHWYADEN – Common winter visitor, passage migrant and scarce breeder The BTO winter atlas showed that Teals were present in the majority of 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84. The darker the colour, the higher the relative total count for each 10km square. The darkest blue represents over 150 birds […]
Red = breeding confirmed Orange = breeding probable Yellow = breeding possible More about the Teal in Pembrokeshire
Species account from the Birds of Pembrokeshire, 1949, by Lockley, Ingram and Salmon.
Querquedula crecca A common winter visitor; perhaps, also a resident in limited numbers. Although we have no evidence that it does so, we consider it extremely likely that a few pairs of Teal may nest annually in suitable places in the county. Every winter little flocks of Teal made their appearance on the Cleddy beneath Stone Hall, where it […]