The number of wild ducks has plummeted by up to 25 per cent overall in a decade, experts revealed yesterday. The British Trust for Ornithology found steep drops in numbers of the scaup and goldeneye - as well as another water bird, the purple sandpiper. Protected wetland areas are its last refuge, holding up to 40 per cent of the British winter population, compared with 15 per cent in the 1970s and 1980s. Canada geese are at record highs, and cormorant numbers have hit 62,000, up 56 per cent in the UK overall. Canada geese are at record highs, and cormorant numbers have hit 62,000, up 56 per cent in the UK overall (pictured, the Eurasian coot)

Source: Daily Mail April 02, 2020 23:28 UTC