Kent Ornithological Society 
Female Mallard with brood - by Hannah Coburn
Despite being the UK's most common duck, there is still a lot we don’t know about Mallards. The UK’s breeding Mallard population has declined by 8% since 2012, but the reasons behind this downward trend are unclear. This spring, researchers at the University of Essex have launched DucklingWatch, a citizen science project in which people across the UK can report their sightings of Mallard broods.
This will help scientists estimate how many ducklings make it to adulthood, informing Mallard conservation by improving understanding of what drives changes in their population and what threats ducklings face.
You can help by submitting your sightings of Mallard ducklings at citsci.org/projects/ducklingwatch. All you need are a few details including where and when you saw the brood, how many ducklings there were, and an estimate of how old the ducklings were (there is a guide to duckling ages on the page). If you regularly see broods in the same place, you can provide particularly valuable data by reporting broods multiple times over the course of a few days or weeks – this will help build a detailed picture of how many ducklings are surviving per brood.
Get started by registering at citsci.org/register and submit records at citsci.org/projects/ducklingwatch. For any queries please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Many thanks,
Hannah Coburn
Postgraduate Research Student (PhD), University of Essex
