As the schools break up in mid/late-July, it’s the height of the travelling season for many people, with holidays in Europe and beyond. For ducks, it’s very different. During July and August they are moulting - shedding old, worn feathers and growing new ones. Unlike most birds, they lose all their flight feathers at the same time which means that they are unable to fly for a few weeks. Whilst most male ducks, the drakes, have quite bright and showy plumages for most of the year, this is a disadvantage when they are unable to fly. During this time it’s best if they blend into their surroundings and avoid potential predators. To achieve this, they complete a full head and body moult to a combination of brown feathers such that they look more like female ducks, which are generally dowdier in appearance, an advantage when brooding eggs during the breeding season. This dowdy plumage is known as eclipse. After growing new flight feathers they complete another body moult through which the bright breeding plumage is attained once more.

During the moult the ducks are extremely vulnerable and seek out quiet, undisturbed, safe wetland havens with plenty of food. In our busy counties there are only a few places that fit the birds’ requirements and these places are high priorities for conservation. In the Colne Valley, our research has shown that the key sanctuary is Broadwater Lake, Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), at Harefield. The lake is noted to be important for moulting water birds, notably Tufted Duck, Coot and Great Crested Grebe.  Tufted Duck first established a moult refuge at Broadwater Lake in the 1970s and in 2023 a moulting flock of 360 birds was recorded.

The threat facing Broadwater Lake SSSI and these moulting birds

Unfortunately, Broadwater Lake SSSI’s function as a key refuge for moulting water birds is currently under unnecessary threat. In November 2023, Hillingdon Council submitted a planning application to build a new Watersports Facility and Activity Centre on Broadwater Lake SSSI – a site protected by law. If permitted, this development and its associated activities will destroy the sanctuary for these vulnerable, flightless birds and other sensitive wildlife which live there. This is not the right place for such a development and Hillingdon Council need to find a more suitable location for it.

Find out more

You can find out more about the threat to this nationally important wildlife haven and why the Trust together with Natural England, the Environment Agency, RSPB, London Wildlife Trust, the Colne Valley Regional Park and 1200 individuals and organisations have objected to Hillingdon Council’s planning application, here.

Do more

If you would like to add your voice to help save this vital refuge for the flightless birds you have read about here and other wildlife, please find out how you can lodge your objection to Hillingdon Council’s planning application here. This link will also take you to a page where you can discover more about why Broadwater Lake SSSI is not the right place for this development, read the Trust’s response to the planning application, and find other methods to make your voice heard and stand up for nature.

Further reading

• Standing up for Wildlife at Broadwater Lake - The threat of development hangs over Broadwater Lake SSSI - Director of Nature Recovery, Chloe Edwards, tells us how devastating the impact on wildlife would be.
• Broadwater Lake – A Vital Wetland Refuge in the Colne Valley - Conservation Manager, Tim Hill, takes a closer look at the essential role Broadwater Lake plays in the Colne Valley, recognised nationally for its importance to nature.
• Broadwater Lake – There’s Always an Alternative - Simon Marsh, the Trust's Planning and Policy Manager, outlines why Hillingdon Council needs to do much more to find an alternative site for its proposed Watersports Facility.