Records were received throughout the year from many sites, except for June, but once again no breeding confirmation was reported. 2003 was a better year for numbers of Teal being seen compared with the last two years, as maxima reached over 100 on more than one occasion. Lindley Wood Reservoir had a good total of 135 on 25th October and 100 were seen on a private lake on 7th November. Other impressive totals were 80 at Marley Sewage Works on 28th December, 53 at Fewston Reservoir on 15th December, 55 in Riddlesden on 13th December and 65 at Esholt Sewage works on 3rd March.

Found throughout the year, but once again no breeding records were received, despite pairs being seen at three different sites in May and June. The highest count was of approximately 100 birds at Sandbeds Flash, near Keighley, on 28th November. Silsden floods was the only other site to have more than 60 present, when 73 were found in October.

This species was again well-recorded, from 17 locations and in 11 months of the year.

The highest counts came from the south of the area. At Sandbeds Flash, between 37 and 64 birds were seen during the first winter period, the latter figure being noted on 16th March, and in the final two months of the year this site held between 70 and 90 (on 31st December). This general area is clearly now the stronghold for wintering birds. At the other main location, Esholt Sewage Works, there was a flock of 75 on 9th January, and 45 on 8th March, whilst High Royd Sewage Works had 40 birds on 18th April.

Significant counts elsewhere in the second winter period consisted of 25 at Fewston Reservoir, 21 at Thornton Moor Reservoir and 33 at Lindley Wood Reservoir.

Whilst there is no evidence of breeding, a pair was seen mating at Sandbeds in March, and the birds were still present in April, but there were very few records during the summer months.

Once again, birds were present in 11 months of the year, being absent only in May, but with only three summer records : from Thornton Moor Reservoir and Soil Hill in July, and Yeadon Tarn in June, the last two being unusual sites for the species. Two other less usual locations amongst the total of 22 recorded were Addingham Caravan Park and Timble Ings, where birds were seen in February and September respectively.

As expected, the best totals were produced in early spring, late autumn and the winter months, with all the significant counts coming from the Aire Valley. In the early months, Sandbeds Flash had 100 birds on 5th January, and 75 on 7th April, and the 60 birds seen in Marley Sewage Works within this period clearly related to the same flock. Between 37 and 73 birds were at Cononley Ings in March and April, the highest total being counted on 20th March.

In autumn and the second winter period, the Sandbeds flock peaked at 75 on 6th December, and 102 birds were at Cononley on 31st October and 2nd November, reducing to 36 by early December. Only three other locations produced 20 birds or more : this number was seen at a private lake in March and John o’ Gaunt’s Reservoir in October, and a total of 21 birds were on or flew past Thornton Moor Reservoir on 18th August. The near absence of birds in the summer months is reflected in the total absence of breeding records.

The signs are that future numbers will be dependent on the seasonal, but sporadic, floods in the Aire Valley, as the Sandbeds site appears to have been drained, and access to the sewage works at Marley and Esholt is now restricted (with the habitat at the latter location being depleted, in any event).

Last year’s Report predicted that any future sizeable flocks were likely to be limited to the seasonal floods in the Aire Valley. As this year’s shows, the compiler’s prediction was, not for the first time, totally wrong!

Birds continued to be seen in numbers in the Sandbeds and Marley areas at both ends of the year, with maxima of 84 there in the first winter period, and 100 on 15th December. The floods around Cononley turned up 32 birds in March, and there were several counts of up to 45 in December. Away from Airedale, similar numbers were seen on three occasions around Wharfedale, with a maximum of 37 at the private lake in late January/early February, and 28 at Fewston Reservoir on 21st November.

However, the year’s highest count came from the totally unexpected Upper Barden Reservoir, which had some 120 birds on 13th November, in addition to a very respectable 61 on 1st October. Reports of between one and nine birds came from 18 other widespread sites, but, as usual, there was an almost complete absence of birds during the summer months, the exception being two on Farnhill Ings at the end of June. It is therefore unsurprising that there were no breeding records.

As anticipated in other recent Reports, the flooded Cononley Ings now provide the best possibility of sizeable flocks and this was the case in 2008. From January to the end of March, many double-figure counts were recorded, and on 6th January a Group record count of 157, surpassed by 173 the following day (BV, KM). In the second winter period, up to 125 birds were seen here, and probable passage birds were again seen at Upper Barden Reservoir, which had 74 in November.

The behaviour of a pair at Kex Gill Quarry in April suggested attempted breeding.