It’s crucial we understand the ecology of species we harvest. Despite being our most common duck & widely hunted, UK mallards are under-studied. I’m aiming to improve understanding of mallard population & movement ecology using GPS tracking, surveys, citizen science & Bayesian modelling #BES2024 2/6
In spring, we deployed 10 GPS tags on female mallards around Abberton Reservoir (Essex). The ducks generally stayed near the reservoir, using wetland & farmland. Only 3/10 of the ducks attempted breeding, likely due to our young-skewed sample & the unexpectedly early breeding peak #BES2024 3/6
We collected data on mallard broods across Essex via fieldwork & citizen science. Broods <1 week old had an average of 6.2 ducklings while broods 2-7 weeks old had means of 3.9-4.7. This pattern is similar to 🇺🇸🇨🇦 studies that suggest most duckling mortality occurs in the first 1-2 weeks #BES2024 4/6
The peak nesting period was earlier than we expected. Based on ages & dates of brood records, hatching peaked in April, meaning laying began in Feb & peaked in March. This is ~1 month earlier than previous UK studies of mallard breeding (most of which were several decades ago & in 🏴). #BES2024 5/6
We will soon be launching DucklingWatch, which will allow anyone in the UK to record mallard ducklings. We’re particularly interested in repeat records of individual broods. No matter your expertise, please get involved! You can find more info at https://www.essex.ac.uk/research-projects/ducklingwatch #BES2024 6/6
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