Species Update

Numbers of wintering Shelducks in the UK are falling – and the reason for this is unclear, as Kate Risely explains…

- Kate Risely

Shelducks are a familiar sight on flat, muddy shores, where their large black-and-white bodies stand out among the smaller estuarine waders and wildfowl.

Unlike most other waterfowl, they nest in holes in the ground, often occupying Rabbit burrows in sand dunes, though they will also nest in cavities formed by tree roots, or among other objects, such as hay bales.

Though most often seen by the sea, they can also live comfortably inland, and the Breckland landscape around my home in Norfolk was historically a stronghold for breeding Shelducks. The sandy soil and dry climate meant that this area was poor for agriculture but perfect for cultivating Rabbits, and warrens occupied the landscape from the 14th Century until a few hundred years ago, providing an abundance of burrows.

Shelducks were noted breeding in coney burrows around my own village – ‘and other wild places’ – in the 17th Century, and records show that in the 19th Century they were eradicated from the area due to the belief that they disturbed the breeding Rabbits.