That ruddy duck!

Sir Walter Scott's favourite view on the way to the Moss

As we approach the anniversary of V-E Day, it is as well to remember the huge contribution made by the American G I's in the eventual victory. Better dressed, better paid and more interesting to the local lassies, they were often characterised as “over-paid, over-sexed and over here” by their war weary British counterparts. After the celebrations, “Yanks” returned home but another group of American natives arrived from across the pond.

The ruddy duck arrived.

The invasion began in 1948 when the famed conservationist Sir Peter Scott’s love for ducks led him to import three pairs of the colourful US birds to his Slimbridge reserve in Gloucestershire but their escape and subsequent flourishing in the British countryside caused unforeseen problems.

The problem is that the “sexy” male ruddy ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis) are preferred by female white-headed ducks (Oxyura leucocephala) found in Europe, mainly in Spain. The resulting hybrid offspring threatened the survival of the white-headed duck, which was already struggling with habitat loss due to development. Ruddy duck males are particularly aggressive when it comes to breeding and court females more vigorously. This makes them more attractive to female white-headed ducks.

Again, the local lassies showed more interest in their American suitors! 

The UK ruddy ducks also spread their wings across Europe, into France, Belgium, the Netherlands and into Spain. The discovery of hybrids in the latter country in the 1990s showed the ducks had grown into a continent-wide threat and that sealed their fate. A cull was demanded and undertaken at vast cost making a dead ruddy duck the most expensive game bird ever. Certainly, the numbers of ducks was reduced considerably but quite a few still survive and their hybrid offspring must have bred several times by now.

Bemersyde Moss

Bemersyde Moss, an SWT reserve, holds the dubious distinction of being the first place in Scotland where the ruddy duck bred. None breed there now but the shallow “kettle-hole” loch is home to little grebes, mute swans, mallards and other wild fowl, reed buntings, and otters.

Little grebe

For decades, perhaps even centuries, it was the breeding site for thousands of Black-Headed Gulls, up to 14,000 – yes, fourteen thousand- pairs were recorded at one time.

Here, the Black-headed Gull finds a congenial breeding place, and on approaching the loch during the nesting season it may be seen on the wing in immense numbers wheeling round and round in circles over the swamp, while little can be heard but its incessant cackling screams The nests, which are placed amongst the rough herbage of the loch, are so numerous that it is said that upon one occasion as many as sixty dozen of eggs were taken in a night by people from the neighbouring farms, who sold them to the district carrier for 4d. per dozen.

(The Birds of Berwickshire - Muirhead 1895)

Suddenly, in the early years of this twenty-first century, they vanished. No reason was ever found. Some have now returned to breed but in greatly reduced numbers.

The pickie-ma' as it is still sometimes called, is not a true sea-bird and isn't even black headed, more of a chocolate brown colour and is as common as crows but thousands of them at one time in one place must have been a special sight. Maybe they will come again but not the ruddy duck.

 A companion in the hide !