The Wildlife of
Croome

 
Home
A-Z Index
Statistics

Ducks, Grebes and Coots - The Wigeon

First seen on Saturday 8th October 2016 at Croome

The Wigeon is a winter visitor, usually found on the river rather than the lake. They have a very distinctive whistling call. The photograph below was taken in the autumn, when both male and female plumage is very similar (the male is the closer one).

The other photographs were taken in February, and show the difference in plumage. The male is now a clean grey colour and has a red head with a pale yellow stripe on his forehead.

They are grass grazers, and move over the meadows in flocks, in unison, all with their heads in the grass. They are easily frightened by passers by and will all rush from the grass to the water with a big splash. When they are frightened in the water, they will take flight, and fly off to a different part of the river, as in the third photograph, below. The final photo shows them landing in the water, although it looks like they are taking off.