As with all reports of rare and scarce birds they are subject to ratification by the respective rarities committees

1986: (4)

On November 16th four were on Tortworth Lake, the group included two males with one lingering until December 14th.

1987: (13)

On March 25th a male and female were at Upper Hill; A male and female were seen in flight on April 22nd near Falfield; Nine were seen in September on Tortworth Lake.

1988: (c.20)

A male and female were seen in flight on April 14th at Eastwood Park near Falfield; Two on May 15th on Tortworth Lake, both males; A male and female on June 12th on Tortworth Lake; On July 17th a female was found on Tortworth Lake and was also present on July 24th; A male and female were seen on September 18th on Tortworth Lake; Thirteen were found on October 23rd on Tortworth Lake, the group included seven males; Fourteen were found on November 13th on Tortworth Lake, this group included nine males.

1989: (10)

All of this years records were from Tortworth Lake: A male and female on April 2nd; A female on June 4th; A male on June 11th; Four on October 8th included one male; Two on November 5th were both males.

1990: (c.25)

A male was seen in flight on April 22nd over the M5 near Tortworth; Two, a male and female were found on April 22nd on Shackell's Lake near Hamswell; The three found on July 1st on Tortworth Lake were all juvenile/ females; All subsequent records this year were from Tortworth Lake; One on July 8th; Seven on August 12th included one male; Fourteen on September 2nd at included three males and five juveniles; Twenty-three on September 30th included eight males; Twenty on October 21st; Nine on November 4th; Nine on December 9th; One on December 23rd.

1991: (2)

A male was on Shackell's Lake near Hamswell on April 18th; On April 21st on the R. Boyd at Bitton, a male that was flushed and flew north-east; All subsequent records refer to sightings on Tortworth Lake; Seven on May 5th included three males; Four on May 26th were all males; One on June 30th was a juvenile/ female; One on August 25th was a female.

1992: (c.12)

All sightings this year came from Tortworth Lake; Two in March; Five in April; One in May; One in September; Twelve in October; Seven in November.

1993: (c.10)

All sightings this year came from Tortworth Lake; Two on May 9th were both males; Two on July 18th; Two on September 26th were a male and female; One, a male on October 17th; Nine on November 14th included six males.

1994: (c.10)

Two, a male and female were seen on May 1st near Tortworth Church; Six were seen in flight on May 4th in flight over the M5 near Tortworth; A male and female were on Tortworth Lake on May 15th; A male on June 1st in flight over the M5 near Tortworth; Three on August 12th at Eastwood Park near Falfield were all juvenile/ females; One on August 21st at Tortworth Lake; Four on October 27th on Tortworth Lake included two males with one male still present on October 29th.

1995: (c.17)

A male and female on March 12th were seen at Avening Green; A female was seen at Oldbury Power Station and was present from the end of August until early September; Two were found on September 11th at Oldbury Power Station; Twelve on Tortworth Lake on October 8th included four males; Four on October 13th were seen in flight over the M5 near Tortworth.

1996: (c.11)

Two, a female and juvenile were seen on July 28th on Tortworth Lake; Seven were seen in flight on August 20th over the M5 near Falfield; A female and immature were found on August 28th at Oldbury Power Station on the estuary in the tidal reservoir; One was seen on the September 11th at Oldbury Power Station on the estuary; Two, both juvenile/ females were seen on the estuary on September 14th - at Oldbury Power Station.

1997: (1)

An eclipse male was present between August 28th - 31st at Oldbury Power Station.

1998: (2)

One, a male was located on April 5th at Tortworth Lake; A male was seen on September 6th also on Tortworth Lake.

2000: (1)

Just one male was recorded this year on November 4th at Oldbury Power Station.

2001: (7)

A female was seen on January 27th on the R. Frome at Framton Cotterell; Four were watched on June 16th at Kingsgate Park in Yate, a family group of a male and female with two juveniles; A male and female were located on October 2nd on the R. Frome at Framton Cotterell.

2002: (1)

One male was seen on May 24th at Shepperdine.

2003: (2)

Two were found on September 13th on the R. Frome at Winterbourne Down.

2004: (1)

One was seen at Oldbury Power Station on November 4th.

2005: (3)

A pair were noted at Tortworth Court Lake on February 2nd; A female was found at Littley Wood near Hawksbury on April 16th.

2006: (c.25)

On February 12th fifteen (nine males and six females) were found on Heneage Court Ponds near Falfield nine of which (six males and three females) were still present on February 18th with eleven on February 20th, several pairs present on at least March 5th and a male present on April 5th; Two, a male and female were noted at Orchard Ponds near Severn Beach on the morning of March 12th (ST: 543 838) represents the first record for the Severnside area; A pair were seen at Lower Woods, Wickwar on May 13th; A female was noted on Brimsham Park Lake three times between May and July; One male and two females were present at Heneage Court Ponds on August 22nd; One was reported on Lagoon I at Oldbury Power Station on October 31st; Seven males and five females were at Heneage Court Ponds on November 18th.

Mandarin at Heneage Court Ponds near Falfield. February 2006. And right Orchard Pools near Severn Beach. March 2006. © Paul Bowerman.

2007: (13)

Nine, five drakes and four females were reported from Falfield on January 21st; On April 5th a pair were reported from Tortworth Lake; One male was seen on the main pond at Kingsgate Park (ST: 714 817) on June 8th between 08:00 and 08:10, it appeared very wary associating with the resident Mallards before flying; One was seen on the small pond on Westerleigh Common on or about June 8th.