Could these big groups be creches of young? I read that this is not uncommon, one baby-sitter while the other females collect food.
Yes, there's no way the group of 35 that I saw last weekend, was a single brood! Also we are talking virtually fully grown birds in this case, all feeding for themselves.
-- Edited by Neil Blood on Tuesday 28th of July 2020 02:39:23 PM
Over the last 20 years they have gone from being occasional winter visitors on the River Dane in Cheshire, to being quite common breeders. I've seen 3 different broods this year in the Middlewich/Northwich area.
The River Dane one is quite interesting, as we had a meeting with the E.A around 18 months back, re massively declining fish stocks on the river and avian predation, which also included Cormorants was considerd a major factor, which the E.A acknowledged. In many areas we have whole year classes of fish missing e.g. Chub, Dace and Roach.
They are increasing everywhere and I say this as frequent river angler. I saw a combined family group of 35 birds on the River Severn last weekend!
-- Edited by Neil Blood on Tuesday 28th of July 2020 02:37:07 PM
We saw a group of 21 young with an adult female on the Mersey at Urmston Meadows on 19th May and have seen a group of a dozen or so fairly regularly since, very likely the same family you saw.
-- Edited by Robert Farmer on Monday 27th of July 2020 08:57:58 PM
I'd been surprised to see our regular wintering birds lingering well into April, and I think early May - although I hadn't seen for the last couple of months until the family group this weekend.
I saw a female with 10 fluffball ducklings on April 25th, at Burnage Rugby Club, so she was probably on eggs for most of April, when it was more often males I was seeing on the river. It is intriguing to wonder where they might have bred, given that birds fly up and down the river and are regularly seen from Stockport almost to the ship canal. Plenty of woodland around and perhaps a few different spots, but I'm assuming the brood would frequent the water near their nest at least when they are really tiny, so I am imagining there must have been at least one nest on 'my' bit of the river.
Remarkably, Fully grown adult males are totally absent from the breeding grounds during June to October although a few hundred have been recorded as moulting in the Beauly Firth, The disappearance of the majority of males , a long mystery ,is now known to be due to a moult migration to the area of the four large fjords around the north cape in northernmost Norway, The Majority of the Western European Drakes estimated to be about 35,000 birds eventually gather in the Tana Fjord, during September
Information via BTO Migration Atlas , poyser 2002 and notes from The Manchester Field Club .
Hi, and thanks for accepting my invitation to join.
Keen and reasonably experienced, based in Chorlton.
Joining was prompted by desire to report what seemed to me an unusual sighting, and ask for further info.
Running round Chorlton Ees yesterday (Saturday) morning, I was surprised to see a group of 12-15 Goosanders on the Mersey beneath the Jacksons Boat bridge. I'm guessing females and young, although must admit I'm not sure what males would look like in eclipse.
I'm guessing this is evidence they are breeding somewhere reasonably local. I'd been surprised to see our regular wintering birds lingering well into April, and I think early May - although I hadn't seen for the last couple of months until the family group this weekend.
