Common Eider has bred in Cornwall for the first time.

On Thursday 23 May, a female was photographed with three ducklings at Spit Beach, Par, on the Cornish south coast. This record, according to the Cornwall Bird Watching & Preservation Society, constitutes the first time the duck has bred in the county.

In Britain, Common Eider is at the southern edge of its wider breeding range. Birds winter all along the south coast in moderate numbers, but breeding is generally confined to northern England and Scotland, with North Wales the nearest traditional area to Cornwall.

However, in recent years the species has nested in Hampshire in the west Solent, coinciding with increasing numbers of summering birds along the English south coast. The first Hampshire nest was found in the Pennington area in 2003 with attempts suspected annually since, though not always confirmed.