Striking, monochromatic, tufted divers
The Whooper Pond is a dynamic place on our reserve, acting as the hustling, bustling capital city of WWT Caerlaverock’s winter. Whooper swans honking their horns at each other on their way to lunch, ducks weaving through the busy traffic to pick up any loose scraps and Canada geese flying in fast, late for their afternoon roosting meetings. But when scanning through the chaos of this pond you may catch the flash of a bird diving below the water. Taking a closer look you may see a small group of composed ducks, lazily floating in the middle with their monochromatic plumages, striking golden eyes and their distinct tuft of feathers at the crown of their head. These are, of course, the tufted ducks.
tufted duck rising out of the water by Alex Hillier
These are some of my favourite ducks in the UK. The males look smart with their black plumage contrasted by white flanks. The females have plumage which is brown in colour but still retain some white on the wings and breast but it is less visible. These are diving ducks, preferring deeper water to dive. They dive sometimes as deep as 14 metres in search of invertebrates, small fish and sometimes aquatic plants. They are supremely adapted to this as their legs are located further back on their body compared to other ducks, almost acting as anatomical propellers!
tufted duck mid-dive by Alex Hillier
The UK has a stable breeding population here but they are boosted by over 100,000 migrants in the winter which travel from Scandinavia, Iceland and Russia which is why they tend to be noticed more at this time of year. The Whooper Pond at WWT Caerlaverock is a great spot to catch these ducks diving around their day.
Words by Charlie McGrath
Feature image of tufted duck pair by Alex Hillier
