Resident population breeding mainly at inland lakes and waterways, few at coastal estuaries.
Shoveler
Irish Name: | Spadalach |
Scientific name: | Anas clypeata |
Bird Family: | Ducks |
Conservation status
Status
Resident & winter migrant. Most occur between October and March. Wintering birds originate from breeding populations which range across France, northern Europe, the Baltic and western Russia. Ireland and northern Britain also support the small Icelandic breeding population during the winter.
Identification
Medium to large sized with a long and broad bill. Males with green head, white breast, chestnut belly and flanks, blue upper forewing. Females similar to Mallard but distinguished by the bill and darker brown belly.
Voice
Disyllabic nasal knocking call of male when flushed. Female similar though more wheezy 'kerr-ash'.
Diet
Feed predominantly on zooplankton which are found mostly on ephemeral wetlands, particularly turloughs and callows. They also feed on small molluscs, insects and larvae, seeds and plant material and are frequently seen dabbling around the edges of waterpools.
Breeding
Nests on the ground among waterside vegetation, often many nests in close proximity. Breeding in Ireland is centred around Lough Neagh and the mid- Shannon basin.
Wintering
Shoveler prefer shallow eutrophic waters rich in plankton, and occur on a variety of habitats while wintering in Ireland, including coastal estuaries, lagoons and inland lakes and callows.
Monitored by
Blog posts about this bird
Record attendance at I-WeBS workshops highlights public appetite to support biodiversity
Workshop participants getting a glimpse of some interesting waterbirds at Rinville.
The outdoor portion of the events – which took place at Rusheen Bay and Rinville – proved fruitful, offering views of waterbirds such as Lapwing, Curlew, Turnstone and Sandwich Terns, to name but a few. Although not a waterbird, the sight of a beautiful female Wheatear hopping along the nearby rocks was a delightful bonus. Attendees brought with them a wealth of relevant experiences, skills and interests, with a high number of local university students and ecological consultants particular taking part. The interactive and informative workshops have thus far resulted in the recruitment of 30 new I-WeBS volunteers for Inner Galway Bay, with many more attendees choosing to sign up to survey at other sites. Meanwhile, the events inspired many more to get involved with their local Galway Branch of BirdWatch Ireland. In addition to boosting survey volunteer numbers, the recent events also offered a fantastic platform to spread the word about I-WeBS – a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) funded monitoring project that has been running since 1994. Every year between September and March, close to 500 I-WeBS volunteers record wintering waterbirds at important wetland sites around the country. Irish wetlands are extremely important for the survival of these birds and I-WeBS keeps track of how these birds are faring so that informed conservation action can be taken.Participants working together to identify birds at Rinville.
The recent I-WeBS workshops focused predominantly on Inner Galway Bay – an internationally important site for wintering waterbirds, hosting over 20,000 birds every season. Inner Galway Bay is a site of international importance for the Great Northern Diver and Light-bellied Brent Goose, meaning that it regularly supports one per cent or more of the flyway population of these species. It is also a site of national importance for many birds, including Red-listed species such as Shoveler, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit and Lapwing. In all, the workshops proved to be a great success, in large part due to the strong collaboration between BirdWatch Ireland, BirdWatch Ireland’s Galway Branch, Galway County Council, Galway City Council, the Marine Institute and Knocknacarra Community Centre. BirdWatch Ireland is particularly grateful to Galway County Council and Galway City Council for funding binoculars and telescopes, which will be available for survey volunteers to rent from Galway City Library.