Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)

STATUS AT LONGHAM LAKES

Common resident, one of the few species invariably seen on every visit. Significant numbers winter, and even more significant numbers now breed.

Breeding:
2010: Remarkably, the first ever breeding records were on Longham Reservoir South in July. On 19th, 3 females with families, one with 11 ducklings. On 23rd there were no less than 9 females with a total of 54 young.
2011: Female with 9 small chicks, 14th and 17th June. On 24th June 3 broods of 10, 9 and 11 (Trevor Thorpe).On 29th June 3 broods of 9, 7 and 6 chicks (22), with broods on 7 and 10 seen on 5th July. Things soon exploded again, with at least 90 young on 24th July and at least 84 on 30th, then an amazing 118 chicks/young counted on 15th August.
2012: Broods spotted on 19th August of 11, 6, 4 and 18 (39 in all). (Robin Trundle and Trevor Thorpe). On 20th August George Green estimated 50 chicks in 8 broods, one female with 23 chicks.
2013: Young reported on 26th April (LB). On July 30th, aggregations of 8, 7, 5 and 29 (49 in all) – meanwhile Alan Pearce reported broods of 8, 8 and 12 “over the last three weeks”. On 2nd August there were 125 young in 10 different units. On 25th August George Green confirmed 120+ young. On 2nd October a raft of 110 Tufted Ducks looked like the young of the year.
2014: Two creches of 13 and 30 young on 18th July (Trevor Wilkinson), then 89 newly hatched chicks on 20th (Trevor Thorpe), about 140 chicks in 9 groups/creches (range 2-52) on 21st (George Green) and 136+ on 24th, all of about the same age. 120 remained on 24th.
2015: 60 ducklings were seen on 14th July with 7 adults, then 130 young were counted on 25th (Lorne Bissell). On 28th July a single creche of 53 were seen attended by 2 adults.

Tufted Duck and chick.

Tufted Duck with back-riding chick, Longham Lakes, 16/07/15 (Lorne Bissell)

Tufted Ducks (Dominic Couzens)

Autumn gathering of Tufted Ducks, Longham Lakes, September 2011 (Dominic Couzens)

Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2002
2003 8 9 38 16
2004 24 28 16 15 10 5 35 54 82 83
2005 36 32 27 42 21 25 28 24 38 41 63 81
2006 75 60 22 20 12 10 30 22 86 50 27 50
2007 7 17 22 47 19 1 21 35 45 71 65 55
2008 22 23 18 3 8 18 41 92 80
2009 40 55 65 64 5 4 19 28 38 36 39 159
2010 94 33 35 1 82 42 48 56 144
2011 98 31 73 93 49 62 31 118+ 129 117 104 91
2012 122 111 209 111 164 124 29 31 90 68 108 141
2013 30 54 117 100 126 86 48 125+ 203 110+ 81 120
2014 162 77 170 141 114 138 73
(140y)
63 187 32 100 134
2015 111 130 195 192 288 247  91 (130y) 273 178 140 126 57