Winter is definitely here. In addition to the ice and snow, more goosanders are on Lemonroyd lake and the river. And winter, is the trigger for ducks to start their quest to find their breeding partner by exhibiting display behaviours until spring, when they nest.
Female goosander; a sawbill has a hooked bill and teeth-like lamellae to grip fish
In most duck species, it is the female incites the males into courtship by calling and swimming with outstretched necks and chin-lifting towards the males. Female gadwalls are very good at this. Some, such as shelduck, persuade their preferred male to attack his rivals. Some males initiate the attacks if they feel ‘their lady’ or feeding territory is being threatened. The wigeon’s idea of attack is to open his bill, outstretch his neck and raise his wings high but that’s all you get when a species is as sedate and gregarious as the wigeon.
Part of the wigeon flock; so relaxed and laid-back, the one in the centre is asleep.
Males also have to display to impress the females. The shoveler for instance wing flaps, engages in mock feeding and noisily with voice and wings make short flights towards a female. The male teal generally struts his stuff amongst a male group by raising his chest up and forward and may also wing flap. Look for the female who kick- started it by approaching the group. Sneaky.
Three male teal in a row
The male goosander appears to bow to females by raising his body, neck and bill skywards. The female incites his display behaviour by viciously jabbing her hooked bill into him. He also extends his neck feathers outwards at the back (as does the teal) so it looks like a wedge or bob-cut and makes a call that sounds like a twanging guitar.
The real star has to be the goldeneye at Lemonroyd and Main lakes. The female does a sort of curtsy to incite the males - how polite is that? But she also swims up behind a group of males and turns her head one way and the other to get one male to know she is looking at another; not so polite after all. Males respond with nods, lifting and thrusting chest forward, wing flapping and short flights to the female. All this crowned is off with the most dramatic head throw of them all. Both pochard and tufted duck head throw but not like a goldeneye, who throws his head as far back as he can onto his back, sometimes with a kick of his feet to throw up a splash and all to reveal this whiter-than-whiter chest.
As goldeneye usually display in groups there is also threat/attack behaviour interspersed. Female at left is acting like she did not start all this.
So keep your eye out for male and female calling, head-bobbing, simultaneous preening behind the wings, up and down and all around-about movements and even spitting water into the air. Another male courting activity is to swim front of a female to show off the back of his head!
Disclaimer; the author recognises there are always exceptions to every rule and not all ducks display all the behaviours outlined.
Other sightings around the site are:
Near the dragline & visitor centre, goldfinch, greenfinch and green woodpecker plus buzzards seem attracted to have a close look over the visitor centre veranda.
Seen along the hillside and pastures are roe deer, kestrel, red kite, stonechat, pied wagtail, plus redwing and fieldfare are making regular forays for the hawthorn berries.
Among the reedbeds & ridge and furrow are redshank, dunlin, curlew, water pipit, stonechat, marsh harrier, sparrowhawk and merlin. At the corners of the eastern reedbeed, by the path that cuts between both reedbeds, water rail are being seen quite frequently dashing across the water from one side to the other. Plus kingfishers are everywhere among the reeedbeds, along the causeway, river and at the main lake sluice.
The main lake is harbouring curlew, pintail, great-crested grebe, shelduck and a grey wagtail was at the sluice opposite at the same time as a kingfisher.
Astley lake is the place for the ever nervous, let’s-fly-up-and scare-everyone-else lapwing, with the gulls that have remained since the previous night’s roosting.
One of the small crowds at Astley; lapwing with gulls and the odd coot
Along the treeline opposite the main lake are lots of the smaller birds: squawking jay, wren, treecreeper, chiffchaff, bullfinch, reed bunting, dunnock, chaffinch, wren, robin, lesser redpoll, goldcrest, siskin, green woodpeckers. Plus tits; marsh, willow, great, blue and long-tailed. Similar birds are also seen around Lowther lake.
Two male reed bunting obligingly showing front and back profiles.
For those old enough to remember; the one on the right has a ‘Jimmy Edwards’ moustache.
And to finish:
Female tufted duck with wrap-around of pond weed; for later, presumably.
Yours, K Sp-8 (17/12/08)
Coming soon:
Dusk walk Friday 22nd December from 2pm; for info & tickets see – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dusk-walk-at-st-aidans-tickets-40143957658
Big Garden Birdwatch is coming in January, expect feeder stations and quiz trail!
Visitor centre and car park are on winter hours and close at 4pm until the end of January.
Bowers lake path is closed for predator fence work and ridge & furrow digging to expose more habitat creating muddy edges.