An occasional visitor.

In the 1970s and 1980s Mandarin Ducks were occasional visitors to Fairlands Valley Lakes and the Town Centre Gardens, with the following records:

Fairlands Valley Lakes: Two Males 30 April 1974; an immature male 20 July 1974; one 28 April 1975; one female 1 March 1976; one male from 18 August until the end of September 1981; one female 23 February 1982, and a male and female 31 January and 28 February 1987.

Town Centre Gardens: A male described as, “scruffy and bedraggled” seen from 29 May until August 1981, which was seen again 8 November and 12 December, and one male seen throughout April 1982.

One was also reported as, “flying between waters” in December 1983 (Presumably between Fairlands Valley Lakes and the Town Centre Gardens.)

They were not recorded from Stevenage again until a male was seen at Fairlands Valley Lakes on 26 March 2008. They have since been recorded from:

Astonbury Wood: A pair seen on 27 March and, 9 April 2020, a drake on 11 April 2020, two pairs on 22 April 2022.

Fairlands Valley Lakes: A female from 7 to 17 December 2010, female on 27 March 2011, a drake on 12 April 2011, a drake from 31 September to 16 November 2017, a drake on 5 June 2018, two females from 12 to 14 August 2019, a female on 24 October 2019, a drake on 31 October 2019, an eclipse type on 1 June 2020, a drake on 25 September 2020, a female from 23 to 25 November 2021,  a female on 20 October 2022 and a male on 8 April 2023.

Watery Grove: A pair seen from 3 to 8 April 2014; two seen on 2 April 2017; one seen on the pond opposite Norton Green Farm on 18 March 2023; two flying over on 19 March 2023; drake and female flying over on 20 March 2023.