Rare ducks which are native to North America have been spotted attempting to breed in East Yorkshire.
The male and female blue-winged teal were spotted at Yorkshire Water’s Tophill Low nature reserve, near Driffield, on a number of occasions over the past 12 months.
Despite being observed in nesting behaviours, it appears the birds were not successful in breeding at the site, where nature reserve wardens and volunteers kept their presence a secret.
However, it is “likely” they have attempted to breed in the area, which is thought to be a first for the UK, Tophill Low warden Richard Hampshire said.
The push seems to be to get native species back to their previous numbers - wouldn’t an American duck be considered an invasive species? Or are they only called invasive when they’re upsetting the balance?
There’s never balance in nature. Something’s always on the way out while something else is always on the way in. When this change is slow, people confuse it for balance.
Surely there’s a difference between, say, black swans being introduced to Britain and rabbits being introduced to Australia? Black swans aren’t disrupting the British ecosystem (that I know) whereas rabbits down under are a serious pest.
They’re only considered to be invasive when they have a negative impact on the local ecosystem.