THE W1GEON 
MARECA PENELOPE 
LocaL names in surrounding counties : 
Stratus IN British AvIFAUNA : Common winter visitor, 
most abundant in autumn, a few breeding in Scotland 
and Ireland. 
RapiAL DisrRiBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST. 
Pauw’s: The Wigeon is familiar to most Londoners, 
because it is kept on so many of the ornamental waters 
in the large urban parks. Wild Wigeon also visit the 
Metropolitan area in varying numbers every winter. 
Numbers of Wigeon used to frequent a certain mill-dam 
in North Surrey every winter, and I have known them 
linger in this spot so late into the spring that I was led 
to hope they might pass the summer there. ‘This never 
happened, however, and they left to a bird sooner or 
later, reappearing the following winter. It would be 
difficult to enumerate all the Metropolitan waters where 
the Wigeon has been observed during the winter months. 
The bird may be seen on most lakes where fowl congregate 
at this season, Kingsbury being, or used to be, a favourite 
resort; Wanstead and Epping are others. ‘There 1s 
reason to believe that wild Wigeon occasionally consort 
with their captive congeners on some of the ornamental 
waters of the Metropolis. 
The Wigeon commences to arrive in our islands at 
the end of September, and from then onwards through 
the autumn its numbers increase. ‘The return to the 
north begins in March, and continues through April. 
It is more or less gregarious during the whole winter, 
although this fact is not apparent in the London area, 
where its visits are irregular and in small numbers only. 
During its stay with us it is for the most part a coast 
bird. It flies well and powerfully, but with little noise ; 
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