Mallard - 1949

Anas platyrhyncha platyrhyncha

Common resident and winter visitor.  Mathew says "it must have been far more abundant fifty years ago" ie about 1845

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society

Mallard - 2003-07

Mallard nest largely around fresh water but have shown a capability to use sites well away from water. They have also readily adapted to artificial sites, perhaps epitomised here in Pembrokeshire, by sitting on eggs aboard a working lobster–fishing boat throughout its mobile working days.

An estimate of 400 nests was made during the 1984-88 survey, though at the time this was thought to be a little conservative. Interpolation from the findings of 1988-91 National Atlas provides a figure of 460 nests for Pembrokeshire. The BBS suggests there has been a 15% decrease in population in Wales over the period 1994–2007. However, the evidence from the 2003-07 county survey is of a 27% expansion in distribution, suggesting there could have been about 500 nests by 2007. The estimates are expressed as nests rather than pairs, as male Mallards normally take no part in incubation or tending young.

Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads)

Red = breeding confirmed = 100

Orange = breeding probable = 57

Yellow = breeding possible = 76

Total tetrads in which registered = 233 (47.6%)

Mallard - 1994

Breeding resident, passage migrant and winter visitor

This is the bird that Mathew (1894) knew as the Wild Duck, and it has probably not changed its status to any degree over the past 100 years or so. Lockley et al. (1949) described it as a common resident and winter visitor.

The Mallard breeds throughout Pembrokeshire, in a range of habitats including the islands. A breeding population of some 400 nests may well be an underestimate as the birds are inconspicuous until the broods are out and then not always seen. The total post-breeding population is augmented by reared birds released by wildfowlers, numbers of releases varying from year to year. The Mallard remains widespread outside the breeding season but groups of 100-500 concentrate at favoured localities, such as the Cleddau Estuary, Pembroke Mill Ponds, Bosherston Pools, Pentood Marshes, Marloes Mere, Nevem Estuary and less regularly at other spots. Shifts in distribution are frequent and often sudden, making this a difficult species to assess. Cross breeds with domestic ducks are not infrequent and pure white birds seem to occur naturally among otherwise normal broods. Keeping track of some of these distinctively marked birds illustrates their mobility between localities. Up to 1,500 Mallards normally winter in the county with an exceptional gathering of about 1,500 on Skomer on 23 October 1981, which probably included passage migrants. Peak numbers occur between October and January.

There are fewer recoveries of Mallards ringed at Orielton than for Wigeon or Teal (see above); those which there are mostly relate to passage periods but a breeding season return came from Korelia in north-west Russia. They pass on through the county to Ireland and France and do not necessarily return to Pembrokeshire in the years after ringing, when they occur in other parts of Wales and in England. There is little evidence of diurnal migration.

 

Fieldwork 1984-88 (based on 478 tetrads)

Red = breeding confirmed = 98

Orange = breeding probable = 19

Yellow = breeding possible = 66

Total tetrads in which registered = 183 (38.3%)

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire

Mallard - 1970s breeding

Red = breeding confirmed

Orange = breeding probable

Yellow = breeding possible

Mallard - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Mallards were present in most 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 239 birds both being squares containing estuaries.

Graham Rees

Mallard - 1894 (Wild Duck)

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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