Possible breeding of Blue-winged Teal in Yorkshire
Richard Hampshire and Lee Johnson discuss the exceptional presence of a pair of Blue-winged Teal at Tophill Low NR during the breeding season.
ON the evening of 23 August 2023, two Blue-winged Teal appeared at Tophill Low NR, East Yorkshire. Both were immatures. One had dark reddish eyes (only appearing so when viewed at close range and in good light), while the other had black eyes, leading us to believe that the pair consisted of a male and a female. No images suggested collection rings or feather damage and they remained part of the suite of interest into October 2023, when curiosity regarding sightings waned and they slipped into obscurity. They were last seen on 25 November.
The entire valley was severely flooded during the winter but the reserve was checked most days and likely areas elsewhere were covered multiple times; it was assumed they had migrated or moved elsewhere.
With the 2024 breeding season in full swing, observers on 4 April were stunned to look across the reserve’s north lagoon and observe a pair of Bluewinged Teal engaged in apparent nesting behaviour. While it cannot be definitively said they were the same birds, it would seem highly likely that one of the autumn pair was a male and, after wintering somewhere else, the birds had returned. The female was seen repeatedly on a spit which was covered by Juncus and Reed Sweet-grass, and disappearing for periods of time.
A flurry of lucky observers managed images of the birds while being sworn to secrecy by reserve staff. The location was problematic for ourselves as reserve managers, both because of its high footfall from visitors and that it was due to undergo bank repairs during the coming summer. As visitors walked the exposed path, the drake would often alarm call to bring the female out from cover.
We have been unable to find any reference to a wild breeding attempt either of vagrants or escapees in the UK, so it would appear we had a first. We found some documented cases of mixed pairings with Northern Shoveler, including some producing hybrid young, but never pure pairs. A drake in breeding plumage would pull in many year listers at the least – and a pair could potentially attract unwanted levels of interest from the wrong sorts. BirdGuides kindly agreed to refrain from broadcasting the birds’ presence.
After receiving advice, we sought to treat them as ‘pseudo-Schedule 1’ birds and Yorkshire Water colleagues agreed to postpone work. As it happened, the sudden flurry of activity was over within 24 hours. News was suppressed in case they reappeared, but alas they did not. However, we strongly suspect that they did go on to attempt to nest somewhere in the River Hull valley and we were waiting for the confirmation to come officially or on the back channel from local contacts.
Then, on 2 June, the pair reappeared again on the north lagoon. There were no further sightings until, intriguingly, one was seen again on 28 July.
So, did a pair of Blue-winged Teal attempt to breed in East Yorkshire in 2024? In our view, it’s a likely yes. There certainly was a free-flying, presumably wild pair with confirmed breeding behaviour. Success seems unlikely based on evidence this year, with no juveniles seen. However, with luck they may try again next season – and provide evidence of a first successful nesting attempt for Britain. ■