Smew

Mergellus albellus

Until the 1980s Stoke Newington Reservoirs were one of the best places in England to see this attractive, scarce sawbill duck. In cold weather the site was one of the few places in the country to remain ice free, attracting good numbers of wildfowl. During the severe winter of 1962/63 on the 27th January, when there was an influx of the species to London, 52 were recorded.

Number in Britain: 180 birds (Winter)

Status:

in London: winter visitor in variable numbers.

in UK: winter visitor

Habitat: Lakes, ponds, also seacoasts on migration

Diet: Summer - mostly insects. Winter - mostly fish, mainly by diving

Data from the London Natural History Society (LNHS) and British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)

• Systematic List of the Birds of Stoke Newington Reservoirs / Woodberry Wetlands