Some of you might think I am cursing when I give this article the title The Ruddy Shelduck!  But I am most certainly not, I am always excited to see this beautiful bird on Hatton Fields and today I really did get to see our residential pair in their element. According to Wildlife Trusts, the Ruddy Shelduck is classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021).  As one of our largest ducks, they absolutely love flooded gravel pits which provide them with a rich feeding ground.  The Wildlife Trusts also tell us that this bird nests underground in old rabbit burrows, in tree holes or in haystacks.  Well on Hatton Fields that could be any or all of the above.  We have video footage of rabbits living on Hatton Fields near Flight Stables, we have plenty of trees nearby and with at least 3 horse owners keeping horses on the fields we also have haystacks, sometimes seen on the fields themselves. Personally speaking I first saw this species on our river in 2019.  Compared to our common mallard duck, these very beautiful birds seemed very timid and would not let me get very close.  Whether it is still the same pair that is now frequently seen on the fields themselves, feeding alongside the horses, or perhaps their offspring that have made Hatton Fields their home, we really are very happy to have them.  Even though they are not native birds, they are extremely pretty and if they can flourish on the habitat that Hatton Fields affords them then long may they stay.