Shovellers are another wild duck species which like tufties gather in a small flock on the West Park lake for the harder months of winter. The flock is usually ten to twenty or so birds, with perhaps two or three times as many tufties.
Neither species takes the breads and grains from people who feed the birds (ignoring all the instructions about avian flu!). Tufties dive for their food, and tend to congregate in groups in what may be the deepest water; often midway between the shore and one of the islands. Shovellers swim around in tight circles, shovelling with their beaks, just under the surface of the water, sieving it for small particles. They spend most of the time close to one of the islands, often half-hidden by the overhanging branches.
Like the tufties, it seems that this year the shoveller population on the lake is one where there are more of brightly coloured males.