These are some of the wildfowl that you can see on the lake in Ashton Park :
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CANADA GOOSE
Length: 90 – 110 cm Wingspan: 150 – 180cm Weight: 4.3 – 5.0kg
Habitat: Ornamental lakes (such as Ashton Park), flooded gravel pits and nearby meadows.
Feeding: Grazes on grass and cereals. Eats some aquatic plants. The birds from Ashton Park can often be seen flying at dawn and dusk to feeding grounds further up the Dee Estuary.
Nesting: Down-lined shallow hollow on the ground, often (for safety) on a small island. Usually one brood of up to 5 – 6 eggs in April – June.
Lifespan: Up to 25 years.
Originally imported from North America for ornamental reasons, the Canada Goose is well established in UK as a resident and tame bird and can be seen all year round. Also resident in Scandinavia and Low Countries. Flocks are generally quite tolerant of observers. Most have lost their migratory instincts. Has a loud, resonant honking call usually when flying. |
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GREYLAG GOOSE
Length: 74 – 84 cm Wingspan: 150 – 168cm Weight: 2.9 – 3.7kg
Habitat: Arable land, marshes and lakes.
Feeding: Grazes. Plucks grass and cereal shoots. Digs for roots and waste grain.
Nesting: Sparsely lined shallow nest on the ground, often on an island. Usually one brood of up to 4 – 6 eggs in May – June.
Lifespan: Up to 20 years.
The Greylag Goose is a large stout bird and is well established in UK as a resident. Residents are often semi-tame but Winter visitors from Iceland are usually wild and shy. Breeds widely in Europe. Has a loud, clattering and honking call. |
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MALLARD
Length: 50 - 65 cm Wingspan: 81 - 95 cm Weight: 0.75 – 1.5 kg
Habitat: Anywhere with water in Western Europe.
Feeding: Takes small aquatic invertebrates,seeds roots, grain and shoots from shallows whlist upending or dabbling, or from dry ground.
Nesting: Down-lined nest on the ground or in raised sites; ; 9 – 13 eggs; 1 brood January to August.
Lifespan: 15 – 25 years.
The most common resident and widespread of ducks.. A social bird often living in large flocks. They are fast in flight with strong, fast wingbeats mostly below body level. Often found crossed with other species. The various forms of farmyard duck are the domestic form of the mallard. |
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COOT
Length: 36 – 38 cm Wingspan: 70 – 80cm Weight: 600 – 900g
Habitat: Larger ponds and lakes, canals, urban park lakes.
Feeding: Dives easily to feed underwater, bouncing back up like a cork. Eats grass, seeds, shoots, tadpoles and similar small water creatures.
Nesting: Large bowl of wet vegetation in overhanging branches or reeds or on a mound at the water’d edge. One or two broods from April to August producing up to 6-9 eggs.
Lifespan: Up to 15 years.
The Coot is superficially duck-like but is really not very like any species of European duck. They are quarrelsome birds and will raise their wings & body feathers to impress and scare away rivals and often resort to fighting. Can form large flocks in Winter. |
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MOORHEN
Length: 32 - 35 cm Wingspan: 50 – 55 cm Weight: 250 – 420 g
Habitat: Wetlands, urban park lakes, rivers, small ponds.
Feeding: Picks up seeds, fruit, shoots, roots snails insects from damp ground and shallow water.
Nesting: Nests in a shallow bowl of leaves and stems in vegetation such as reeds or drooping branches, often just above the water. 5 – 11 eggs; 2 – 3 broods from April to August
Lifespan: Up to 15 years.
The moorhen prefers the water’s edge and marshy ground rather than open water. It is surprising agile being able to climb trees and dense hedgerow bushes. A widespread and common bird throughout Western Europe. Has a low, fluttery flight with long trailing legs. |
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TUFTED DUCK
Length: 40 - 47 cm Wingspan: 67 - 73 cm Weight: 450 - 1000 g
Habitat: Likes long grass around gravel pits, reservoirs and parkland lakes. Sheltered coastal waters in winter.
Feeding: Dives under water to find molluscs and insects.
Nesting: Nests in a down lined hollow in long vegetation such as reeds near water. 8 – 11 eggs in 1 brood between May – June.
Lifespan: 10 - 15 years.
This is a common diving duck often living flocks. Can become semi-tame and then look for food in town park lakes like this one in Ashton Park. Has a deep, grating growl. Can be see in UK all year round. |
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MUSCOVY DUCK
Length: 60 – 78 cm Wingspan: cm Weight: 4.5 to 6.5 kg
Habitat: In the wild lives in marshy forests. Its robustness and hardiness have enabled it to adapt to different climates and habitats.
Feeding: Omnivorous - feeding on plants, worms, insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles. They feed by dabbling, foraging and up-ending.
Nesting: Usually in a tree hollow or sometimes in rushes. 8 to 15 eggs per clutch; can sit 3 times per year.
They do not swim as much as others as their oil glands are under developed compared to most ducks. Muscovys are the only domestic duck not derived from Mallard stock. Bred for meat in Europe. Not noisy birds; males puff, females are mute. |
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