The Canada Goose

Extreme tameness has saved the Canada goose from becoming a popular target for wildfowlers and probably helped to give it the chance to establish itself as a wild breeding bird in Britain. The first Canada geese were brought across the Atlantic in the 17th century as decorative birds for parkland lakes. Attempts were later made to develop their numbers for shooting, but the bird is too tame, too irregular in its flighting times and flies too low to make it a sporting target.

Although a large bird the Canada goose can be unobtrusive when resting or feeding. Suddenly, however, a party may start calling with a trumpet like honking. The noise builds up and the geese take wing, continuing their calls as they make for a neighboring stretch of water.

The nest of the Canada goose consists of plant material at the water's edge or on an island. The female lays five or six creamy white eggs in April or May. From these are hatched greenish yellow goslings. They can fly after nine weeks, but remain as a family unit until spring the following year.

Present: All year
Found: Widespread in Britain

The Rook

Before the leaves are out in spring, rooks congregate in breeding colonies high up in tall trees, their nests standing out against the network of bare branches. This habit of breeding early in conspicuous `rookeries' makes counting the species relatively easy.

The British rook population has fallen recently, possibly because of the ploughing-up of permanent pasture in favour of temporary crops of grass and clover, where the soil does not harbour so many of the bird's favourite insect foods - leather-jackets and wireworms.

Even so, some rookeries may number several thousand pairs: at Hatton Castle near Aberdeen , more than 6,000 nests have been counted. In 1424 James I of Scotland decreed the extermination of the rooks in his kingdom, because of their practice of feeding on corn; but the damage done by the bird to crops may well be balanced by its liking for insect pests.

The rook's nest is a bulky cup of sticks consolidated with soil and lined with roots, leaves, moss or wool. The female builds the nest with materials brought by her mate. A clutch usually consists of three to five bluish-green eggs, with greenish-brown or blackish-green speckles.

Present: All year
Found: Widespread

In some country areas the green woodpecker, largest of Britain 's woodpeckers, is known as the `yaffle' - an allusion to the bird's attractive, loud laughing call. This takes the form of a rapidly repeated `kew-kew-kew' fairly high-pitched at first, then falling.

The green woodpecker seldom indulges in the `drumming' action of the other species. It also feeds much more on the ground, for besides larvae of wood-boring insects, beetles, moths and flies, it is particularly partial to ants and their grubs.

The bird has also been known to damage hives in search of bees and their grubs.

During courtship, the green woodpecker performs the same spiral pursuits round branches as the greater spotted woodpecker. However, the green species has one display all of its own; males fighting over a female sway their heads from side-to-side, with wings spread, tails fanned and crests raised.

Only one brood is produced each year. Usually, five to seven eggs are laid in a bare nesting chamber, but clutches of up to 11 eggs have been known. Both sexes share in incubating the eggs for 18-19 days, and in feeding the young for 18-21 days by regurgitating a milky paste produced from their insect food.

Present: All year
Found: England and Wales - spreading in Scotland

For speed, grace and agility in flight the hobby has few rivals, even among its fellow falcons. Whether delicately picking a dragonfly out of the sky or swooping down to capture a swallow in full flight, it presents a breath-taking spectacle.

In the breeding season, pairs of hobbies soar, hover, dip and loop in dazzling displays of flying skill. These superb hunters of the skies, prized in the days of hawing for their ability to catch larks, often seem to perform their feats for pure joy.

Hobbies are also great travellers. They spend the winter in Africa, south of the Sahara desert, and arrive in Britain in late April and May after a 2,500 mile journey remaining until September or October to breed. The females produce on average, one clutch of two or three eggs; these eggs are densely speckled with reddish-rust markings, a feature not uncommon among falcons. The downy young hatch after about a month and fly when four to four and a half weeks old, but depend on their parents for some time afterwards.

The hobby is now one of Britain 's rarer birds. It is estimated that no more than 100 pairs are currently breeding in Britain , in the wooded heaths and downs of southern England .

Present: Late April
Found: Southern England

Magpies



Present:
Found:

In both town and country, the mallard is the most familiar duck in the British Isles . It is as much at home on a park lake or city canal as it is on a quiet country backwater or remote reservoir.

Mallards living near towns have learned to live side by side with man, often relying on him to supplement their diet with bread and other scraps of food. Country-dwelling birds, however, have learned to fear humans, because of the activities of wild fowlers.

The mallard is typical of the `dabbling' ducks in that it feeds on the surface of the water and can spring straight up into the air with a powerful whirring of wings. Its broad, flattened bill is adapted for filtering from the water a wide range of tiny plant and animal matter. The webbed, paddle-like feet are placed well back on the mallard's body so that it walks with a rolling waddle from side to side.

The female mallard makes the quacking sound that people associate with ducks. The drake, however, also gives an occasional subdued, hoarse-sounding `raarb' call, especially when suspicious or alarmed. Nests are made from leaves and grass, and lined with down. They are generally well-concealed.

Present: All year
Found: Widespread

Birds which breed in open country often have conspicuous song flights, and the meadow pipit is a prime example of this. The male bird starts its performance by climbing steeply to a maximum height of 100 ft (30 m). During the ascent it utters an increasingly fast series of `pheet' notes. These reach a climax and are replaced by slower and more liquid notes as the bird `parachutes' down. Its outspread, upwards pointing wings and outspread tail slow the descent. On landing, the bird rounds off its song with a trill.

At high altitudes, the meadow pipit is normally Britain 's commonest song-bird. It is found from sea-level to more than 3,000 ft (900 m) and in various habitats from the Isles of Scilly to the Shetlands, and from the west of Ireland to Kent . Although its nest is usually well hidden in vegetation, it often plays host to the cuckoo. Its own eggs are usually three to five in a clutch, although six or seven are sometimes recorded in the north. The small meadow pipit is among the favourite prey of the merlin. Richard's pipit usually arrives in small numbers from September to December. The tawny pipit is an irregular autumn visitor from continental Europe.

Present: All year
Found: Widespread

Though this colourful and handsome creature is Britain 's most widespread game bird, it is not a native. The pheasant's natural home is in Asia, from the Caucasus eastwards to China . Its eating qualities were appreciated by the English in the early Middle Ages, when birds from the Caucasus were introduced.

By the end of the 16th century they were common, and from late in the following century birds from China , distinguished by their white neck-rings, were being brought in.

In modern times, the large-scale rearing of pheasants in captivity for release to the wild has encouraged estate owners to maintain woods and copses on their land. This has brought some benefit to other forms of wildlife; on the other hand it has also led to the trapping and shooting of many species of mammals and birds which are regarded as special enemies of game birds, in spite of the protection given to them by the law.

For nesting, the pheasant favours almost any thick ground vegetation, though it prefers areas with trees as well. The nest, a shallow scrape in the ground, usually contains a clutch of 7-15 pale buff eggs. But the cock has several females in his `harem', so a nest may contain more than one clutch.

Present: All year
Found: Widespread

In the eyes of farmers, the innocuous-looking wood-pigeon is undoubtedly `public enemy number one' among British birds. Townsfolk find this hard to credit when they see the chubby, attractive bird quietly feeding in a local park. But in the country the wood-pigeon does immense damage to crops. It is particularly fond of cereals, potatoes, beans, peas and greens.

In winter, huge flocks of wood-pigeons feast upon root crops such as turnips, which are grown for animal feed, and clover, with which cereal crops are undersown. Without these modern `additions' to the agricultural scene, the birds would have to fall back on their more traditional foods of ivy berries, acorns and weed seeds.

Wood-pigeons are classified as pests and can be destroyed by the owners of the land where they nest.

The wood-pigeon's nest is a thin but well-built platform of fine twigs, through which the clutch of two pure white eggs can sometimes be seen from below. The newly born chicks are sparsely covered with yellowish down; but during their 29-35 days in the nest they develop their grey, juvenile plumage.

The adult bird's voice is a delightful soft cooing, with the emphasis on the second of the usual five notes.


Present: All year
Found: Widespread

In many parts of Britain the pied wagtail is called the water wagtail, for it is often seen near ponds, streams and reservoirs. But just as frequently it is found in open country, particularly in the vicinity of stables, farmyards and cultivated areas. These provide the bird with a plentiful supply of the flies and other insects that make up most of its diet, and suitable nest sites in the form of holes in buildings and walls. Cavities in cliffs, stream banks and trees, and even abandoned cars also furnish acceptable nooks and crannies.

In courtship, two or more males chase a female in an undulating, dancing flight. The nest is an accumulation of twigs and other plant stems, grass, roots, dead leaves and moss, with a lining of hair, wool and feathers. In it is laid a clutch of five or six pale greyish-white or bluish-white eggs, uniformly sprinkled with greyish speckles. The chicks are fed by both parents. A pied wagtail with a beakful of insects is usually a reliable clue to the whereabouts of a nest.

Once regarded a-s a species in its own right, the pied wagtail is now regarded by ornithologists as a race of the white wagtail of mainland Europe and Asia .

Present: All year
Found: Widespread

The Robin

For generations, the robin has earned its place as Britain 's best-loved bird. It is noted for its tameness in town and city gardens, and often searches for food around the feet of gardeners who are turning over the ground. It will even eat meal-worms straight from the hand.

Away from habitation, however, in woodland and other areas of countryside, the robin is more wary, and on the Continent it is a shy and retiring bird.

It is extremely possessive of its territory, and guards it fiercely from other robins. The nest is built entirely by the female and is usually hidden amongst thick ivy on trees or walls, or among roots or undergrowth on banks. Nests are also commonly found inside sheds and other buildings; and sauce-pans, old tins and the like are readily commandeered for nesting.

Breeding begins from late March in the south to June in the north. A clutch usually consists of five to six eggs, which are incubated by the female for 12-15 days. Young birds leave the nest after about two weeks. The male may take over the feeding and care of one brood if a second clutch follows quickly.

The robin has a loud, penetrating `tic-tic' alarm call and a thin rather sad but sweet warbling song, consisting of short phrases.

Present: All year
Found: Widespread

The Skylark

Though the skylark's plumage is sombre and its song not particularly fine, it is not hard to see why this bird became a favourite of poets and composers. As it performs its conspicuous flight above the open fields and downs, giving voice loudly and constantly, it is a difficult bird to ignore.

It is very much identified with the countryside rather than with towns; moreover, it breeds more widely than any other bird in Britain, so is seen in all parts of the country that suit it - farmland, grassland, meadows, sand-dunes and commons.

The skylark rises several hundred feet vertically in hovering flight, sustaining its clear warbling song for several minutes at a time. Then the bird sinks down, singing until it is near the ground.

Between three and five eggs are generally laid, in colour off-white or very pale green, heavily speckled with brown or olive. The chicks depend on camouflage and thick ground cover for protection, for they do not fly well until they are about three weeks old. Food is mainly seeds, insects and their larvae.

Present:
Found:

Swans

This wild, lovely migrant from Arctic Siberia, may take the corn put out for it by the Wildfowl Trust at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, but in no other way does it acknowledge the presence, let alone the influence, of man. Best of all it likes the seeds and water plants of the lakes and pools that are its natural environment.

The V-shaped skeins against the winter sky are goose-like, as the great bird's wing across Britain in flocks that may be hundreds strong. A distant high-pitched honking and crooning - less trumpeting than the call of the whooper swan - reaches the ears of the watcher.

Goose-like too, are this swan's short neck and rounded head, which help to distinguish Bewick's swan from its close relative, the larger whooper swan. Close observation reveals yet another difference - the yellow patch on the Bewick's bill is generally smaller and more rounded than that of the whooper.

Any Bewick's swan - named after the celebrated bird illustrator Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) - can be identified by the pattern of yellow and black on its bill, which is peculiar to each bird. Ornithologists can therefore build up a picture of the life of an individual bird year after year.

Present:
Found:

Wheatears

One of the first signs that spring is on its way is the arrival in Britain of the wheatear, among the earliest of the summer migrants. Normally, early arrivals from Africa are seen in southern England about the second week in March; most birds appear between the last week of March and mid-April.

The most noticeable feature of the wheatear is its white rump, visible as the bird flits low over the ground to perch on a prominent stone, clod of earth or other vantage point.

The bird's common name comes from hwit and oers, Anglo-Saxon words for `white' and `rump'. The wheatear is mainly a bird of upland Britain , and elsewhere occurs mostly on heathlands and coasts. It is in such areas that suitable nest sites in the form of holes in drystone walls or under large stones are most plentiful. The nest of loose grass, stems and leaves is built largely by the female.

The four to seven pale blue eggs are laid in late March, or as late as June in the north. They hatch after 14 days and the young spend about two weeks in the nest. The wheatear is noted for its distinctive `wee-chat-chat' call; its song is a vigorous, though brief, warble, intermingled with harsh rattling's and squeaky notes.

Present: March to October
Found: Visitor and passage migrant