British Sea Birds

The Goosander, in our islands, is as yet only known to breed in a few localities in the Highlands. Its eggs are laid during April and May. Its favourite nesting haunts are open, swampy forests, containing lakes and rocky streams. The nest is generally made in a hole in a tree, but crevices in rocks, or cavities in exposed tree roots by the water side, are sometimes selected. But little nest is made, although when the full clutch of eggs is deposited a thick and abundant bed of down surrounds them. The eggs are from eight to twelve in number, creamy white and glossy. It is not known whether the drake assists in the duty of incubation. The Goosander has a wide geographical range, which extends over Arctic and North temperate Europe, Asia, and America, and more southern areas during winter.

SMEW

This species, the Mergus albellus of systematists, is not only the smallest of the Mergansers, but by far the least common in British waters. Its visits are chiefly confined to the eastern coast line of England and Scotland and the south coast of England. Even in these areas adult males – from their strongly-contrasted black-and-white plumage locally known as “Nuns” – are much more rarely met with than females and young birds, called by the gunners of the east coast “Red-headed Smews.” Unfortunately, the male Smew is a bird that does not approach the coast much, and the female, from her duller colouration and small size, is readily overlooked. Lastly, it is the least maritime of the family. The male Smee or Smew, in nuptial plumage, is black and white – some of the former colour displayed in curious crescentic markings on the shoulders and in front of the wings, the elongated crest is pearly white, emphasised by greenish black, and the flanks are finely vermiculated with gray. The female has the head reddish-brown. During winter the Smew is gregarious, living in flocks of thirty or forty individuals, mostly immature. It prefers the more open water at some distance from shore, seeking to evade pursuit by swimming, but, if fired at, diving at once and reappearing far out of danger. When feeding most of the birds dive at once, rising in scattered order, but soon bunching together as each bird swims to a central rallying point. The Smew does not visit the land much, and even sleeps upon the water. It is a most accomplished diver, descending to great depths, and using its wings to assist it through the water, which it traverses with as much ease as a Cormorant or an Auk. Upon our coasts its food consists principally of small fishes and crustaceans. Its note is a harsh kurr, but at its breeding grounds it is said to utter a bell-like call, hence in Northern Asia it has been called the “Bell Duck.”

The Smew breeds in the forest swamps of the Arctic regions, making its nest in a hollow fallen log, or in a hole in a tree or stump. The eggs are laid upon the powdered wood, but are eventually surrounded with a quantity of down from the body of the parent. The seven or eight eggs, creamy-white in colour, are laid late in June or early in July. The ducklings are said to be conveyed to the water by the female in her bill.

GEESE

The Geese form an extensive and well-defined sub-family of the Anatidæ termed Anserinæ. They are distinguished from their allies by having the lores covered with feathers, and the tarsus reticulated back and front. The Geese differ further from the Swans, in having a relatively longer tarsus, and much shorter neck; and from the Ducks by their short, robust, subconical bill. Geese frequent both land and water, inland districts as well as the coasts and seas. The sexes do not present such striking contrasts of colour as in the Ducks. Geese moult once in the year, in autumn. The distribution of the sub-family is almost a cosmopolitan one, but the New World contains the greatest number of species. Half-a-dozen species are more or less abundant visitors to our islands in winter, but one species only breeds within our limits, and even this has been extirpated from most of its ancient haunts. These half-dozen species divide themselves into two distinct groups, four of them consisting of the Gray Geese, and two the Black Geese. The birds in the former group are the least maritime in their haunts, visiting the land to feed, whilst those in the latter division are inseparably associated with the sea during their sojourn in our area. As the former group contains the familiar “Wild Goose” – which is the original stock from which the farmyard Goose has been derived – we will deal first with the species contained in it.

GRAY LAG GOOSE

This fine bird, the type of the genus Anser, and the Anser cinereus of most modern writers, claims distinction not only as being the origin of the domestic race, but as the one species indigenous to the British Islands. For nearly a hundred years, however, the Gray Lag Goose has ceased to breed in its old haunts, the English Fens; it continues to breed, yet very locally, in the Hebrides, and in certain parts of the Highlands. Its domestication must extend to a very ancient date; yet captivity, beyond increasing its size and its fecundity, has caused but trifling variation in its colour. The bird, therefore, must be too familiar to every reader to require any description here. Once apparently so common, the Gray Lag Goose is now one of our rarest birds, a fact of great significance to the student of the geographical distribution or dispersal of species. The derivation of one of this bird’s trivial names – Lag – has given rise to much speculation, until Professor Skeat6 apparently solved the riddle by suggesting that the word – which is an equivalent for late – applied to the bird’s habit of lagging behind to breed in the Fens, after other migratory Geese had departed north. A few Gray Lag Geese locally appear, chiefly on our eastern seaboard in winter, and it is more than probable that, normally, most of these birds are the individuals still continuing to inhabit the British Islands. These birds generally resort to the coast, frequenting sand-banks and low islands during the day, as a safe retreat in which to rest and sleep, coming landwards again at dusk to feed. This Goose, although gregarious during winter, seldom or never consorts with other species, although ready enough to mingle with its tame descendants on the stubbles and pastures. Where not persecuted, this Goose is a day feeder: but incessant shooting has caused it to vary its habits in this respect, and to defer its visits to dangerous grounds until darkness has set in. It shows little partiality for water, only resorting thereto when alarmed, or during the helpless period of its moult, when its quills all drop out together and incapacitate it for flight. It swims well and buoyantly, however, and when wounded has been known to dive. The flight of this species is both rapid and powerful, the birds usually forming into Vs or Ws to perform their journeys. The call-note is a loud, far-sounding gag-gag, variously modulated on different occasions. Its food consists largely of grass and tender grain plants, but grain of all kinds is sought, together with various buds and leaves.

The Gray Lag Goose breeds early, in some localities the eggs being laid in March or April, a month later in the more northern districts. It is a social bird at this period, and numbers of nests are often made close together. Its breeding grounds are secluded moors and swamps. The huge nest, made on the ground, is placed amongst heath or dense vegetation, and is composed of branches of heather, dry grass, rushes, bracken, turf, and so on, and lined with down. The six or eight eggs are creamy-white. The gander keeps guard close to the nest, whilst the goose incubates the eggs; and when the young are reared a move is usually made seawards.

WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE

This Goose, the Branta albifrons of Scopoli, but the Anser albifrons of most modern writers, is a winter visitor to our islands, not only local in distribution, but much more abundant in some years than others. It may be readily distinguished from the preceding species by its orange-yellow bill, white face (a narrow and varying line of white feathers round the base of the bill), and broad black bars across the belly. It is, perhaps, most abundant on the Irish coasts, those of the south and south-west of England coming next, whilst on the east coast – a region so famous for Wild Fowl – it becomes rare. In Scotland its principal resorts are in the Outer Hebrides. The habits of all these “Gray” Geese are very much alike. During winter the present species is gregarious, and passes with great regularity from the sand-banks, where it rests and sleeps, to the more inland pastures where it feeds. Its food, flight, and actions generally resemble those of allied birds. The note is said to be more harsh and cackling than that of the preceding species, hence the name “Laughing Goose,” applied in many places to this bird.

The White-fronted Goose breeds in the Arctic regions, and was met with by Middendorff breeding in great numbers on the Siberian tundras. The nest was a mere hollow at the summit of a grassy knoll, lined with down. The eggs, from five to seven in number, are creamy-white.

BEAN GOOSE

This species, the Anas segetum of Gmelin, and the Anser segetum of modern ornithologists, is locally distributed round the British coasts during winter, but of more general occurrence on passage, especially in autumn. The Bean Goose may be distinguished from the two preceding Geese by the colour of its bill, which has only the central portion orange-yellow, the base and the nail being black. This species arrives in our area during October and November. It is gregarious during winter, congregating in flocks of varying size, which wander about considerably, influenced by the exigencies of the weather and the supply of food. These gatherings are difficult to approach. During the day the Bean Geese come inland to search for their food, on the stubbles and newly-sown grain lands. A long-continued frost will keep them to the coast; but during spells of open, yet rough and stormy weather, they prefer to remain in inland haunts, from which, however, they soon depart at the sign of a coming frost. When feeding, Bean Geese generally station sentinels to guard the flock by giving timely notice of the approach of an enemy. Their food consists of grass, grain, tender shoots of grain, and the roots of various plants. During night, when they are certainly more easily approached, they repair to sand banks and low islands, or to the open sea, where they sleep and preen their feathers. This Goose swims well, but rises from water in a somewhat laboured manner. Its note is the familiar gag-gag, variously modulated according to circumstances.

The Bean Goose breeds on the Arctic tundras, beyond or near the limits of forest growth, across Europe and Asia, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The nest is made early in June, amongst the tall grass and sedge of an islet on one of the tundra lakes, or on rising ground on the bank, and is merely a hollow, into which is gathered a little dry grass and a quantity of down from the body of the parent. In this nest three or four creamy-white eggs are laid. As soon as the young are half-grown, the Bean Geese begin to collect into flocks again, and to complete their moult. Like other Geese, at this time they are very helpless, being incapable of flight, as the quills drop out suddenly, and nearly all together.

Allusion must here be made to the Pink-footed Goose, the Anser brachyrhynchus of Baillon, long confounded with the Bean Goose, and perhaps only sub-specifically distinct from it. As pointed out by Mr. Cecil Smith, the characters mainly depended upon to distinguish this bird from the Bean Goose – pink legs and central portion of the bill – are not constant; but this may be due to accidental reversion. A more important difference, because apparently constant, is the bluish-gray colour of the upper wing coverts. These, however, are questions that do not come within the scope of the present volume, and must be left to the more advanced students of birds. The Pink-footed Goose is a tolerably common winter visitor to our islands, especially to the eastern districts. Its habits are not known to differ in any important respect. But little is known of its habits during the breeding season. The nest is said to be made on low rocks near the sea, or on higher cliffs in the fjords some distance inland. The four or five eggs are creamy-white.

BRENT GOOSE

The “Black” Geese differ in many important respects from their allies the “Gray” Geese, and are generally separated from them under the scientific terms of Bernicla or Branta. These birds are characterised by their short, sub-conical bills, in which the lamellæ are concealed, or nearly so, and by the general dark colour of the plumage, relieved by white, or, in some cases, various strongly-contrasted colours. Two species are British, in the sense of visiting us during winter. The first of these the Brent Goose – the Anser brenta of Brisson, and the Bernicla brenta of modern naturalists – is by far the most common and widely distributed of the Geese in our islands, but it exclusively confines itself to the sea. It may be met with off almost all parts of our coast-line, but is most abundant along the east and south. The adult bird may readily be distinguished by the general black colouration of the breast and upper parts, relieved by small white patches on the sides of the neck, the pale margins to the wing coverts and mantle, and the white upper tail coverts. The lower parts below the breast are dark slate-gray, many of the feathers having paler margins. Young birds, however, do not display the white neck patches. The Brent Goose is seldom seen in any numbers on our seas before October; but from that date onwards vast flocks continue to arrive, and the bird continues abundant until the end of the following March. Certainly some districts are far more favoured by this species than others. In my own experience I may name the Wash, where I have seen this Goose in such enormous packs as densely to cover many acres of mud-flat; whilst their noisy clamour, in the still hours of early morning, could be heard for a mile or more across the wide, desolate salt-marshes. The Brent Goose passes its time either on the sea or on the muds. It is remarkably gregarious, young and old congregating together, wary and watchful always, and never allowing a close approach on the land. So densely do the birds pack, that a disturbed flock taking wing looks as though the very surface of the mud or sea were rising in one solid, inseparable mass. The principal food of this Goose consists of grass, wrack, and laver. On certain mud-banks these plants grow very thickly, and to these the Brents resort as soon as the tide recedes sufficiently for them to reach and to tear up their favourite food. In studied order the birds advance, feeding as they come, sentinels remaining on the look-out in turn, until all are satisfied, or the incoming tide covers their food-plants. Then back, in a solid mass, they go towards the open sea, or to some low bank, there to rest and preen their plumage, and to wait until another tide has ebbed, and left exposed their pastures. This bird, for the most part, is a day feeder; but during moonlight nights it will visit the exposed banks, doubtless the tide having considerable influence on its habits in this respect. The flight of this Goose, if rather laboured, is powerful and well-sustained; and during its progression the birds often form into Vs or Ws, or some other lineal pattern. The note of the Brent Goose is a loud, oft-repeated, and variously-modulated hank or honk, uttered, not only when the bird is on the ground, but during flight.

But very little is known of the nidification of the Brent Goose. It breeds in the highest Arctic latitudes, selecting, if possible, an island near the coast, making a rude nest in some hollow in the ground, of dry grass, stalks of plants, and moss, and warmly lined with down. The four or five eggs are creamy-white in colour. The gander keeps watch and ward near the nest, whilst the goose incubates the eggs. By the end of July most of the Brent Geese begin to moult, and during some part of the time they are quite incapable of flight. At this critical period they keep closely to the sea. Mr. Trevor-Battye, in his interesting book, Icebound on Kolguev, gives a graphic description of the way the Samoyeds capture the Brent Goose whilst it is incapable of flight. Instinctively aware of their helplessness, the Geese endeavour to get to the sea, and on it congregate in large flocks, until their quills have grown. But the Samoyeds cleverly surround them – often taking advantage of a dense sea-fog to do so – and quietly drive them into a netted enclosure on the shore, where they are killed at leisure. One of these grand “drives” witnessed by Mr. Trevor-Battye resulted in the capture of upwards of three thousand Brents! A form or variety of the Brent Goose, with the under parts below the breast nearly white, is commonly found consorting with birds of the typical colour. It is the Bernicla glaucogaster of Brehm, and, as far as is known, breeds only in the Nearctic region. It is not known to differ in its habits from the more typical form.

BERNACLE GOOSE

This somewhat larger species, the Anas leucopsis of Bechstein, and the Anser leucopsis of most modern naturalists, is a fairly common winter visitor to the British coasts, where it is most abundant on the western littoral, from Cornwall up to the Hebrides. Unlike the Brent, the Bernacle Goose frequently wanders inland to winter on large sheets of fresh-water. This Goose is readily distinguished by its white cheeks, and much lighter underparts below the breast. Owing to peculiarities of distribution, rather perhaps than to choice, the Bernacle Goose frequents more rocky coasts than its ally. It is also just as gregarious, but owing to the nature of its food is more of a land species, and certainly more nocturnal in its habits. Although frequenting sand-banks and mud-flats to sleep and to rest, it does not obtain much food upon them. Its food is principally composed of marsh grass, and to obtain this it comes up from the sea to the saltings, and the banks of lakes and tidal rivers. Its flight and actions generally very closely resemble those of the Brent Goose. The note is similar. Nothing is known of the breeding grounds or the nesting habits of the Bernacle Goose. It has, however, been known to breed in confinement. The eggs are creamy white.

SWANS

These large and handsome birds form the small but well-defined sub-family Cygninæ. They may be distinguished from all other species in the Anatidæ, by having the lores, or space between the eye and the base of the bill, bare of feathers, and by their reticulated tarsus. In this sub-family, as in the Anserinæ, the sexes are nearly alike in colour. Swans moult only once in the year, in autumn. The young birds – known as Cygnets – are hatched covered with down, and able to swim. In first plumage they are uniform grayish-brown; and, unlike the Geese, they appear not to undergo any moult during their first autumn, but after the moult, which takes place in their second autumn, they acquire the pure white plumage of the adult. Although this sub-family contains but seven species, probably all referable to one genus, its distribution is wide, embracing the Palæarctic, Nearctic, Neo-tropical, and Australian regions. Besides the Mute Swan, two other species are British, in the sense of visiting our area to winter.

HOOPER SWAN

This fine bird, the Cygnus musicus of Bechstein, as well as of most modern ornithologists, is a tolerably common winter visitor to the British Islands, frequenting inland waters as well as the coasts. It is of more frequent occurrence in Scotland, than in England or Ireland. The Hooper – sometimes rendered Whooper – or Whistling Swan, both names being derived from the bird’s notes, may be distinguished from its two British allies by having the basal portion of the bill extending below the nostrils, yellow. Like many other species that visit us during winter from the high north, its numbers vary a good deal in different years, according to the mildness or severity of the winter in regions lying directly north or north-east of our area. In periods of long continued frost, great numbers of this Swan collect off certain parts of our coasts, driven seawards from inland waters. This Swan is rarely seen in British waters before October or November, whilst in some years it does not make its appearance in certain localities before mid-winter. Its spring migration northwards lasts through April and May. Whilst on passage the flocks of this species form into some rectilinear figure and fly at vast heights. Gätke remarks, that at Heligoland this Swan is seen most frequently during long-continued frost, flights of ten, twenty, or more, passing in long rows, one behind the other, uttering their loud clanging cries as they go. The flight of this species is rapid and regular, the swish swish of the long wings being heard for a long distance, and the bird’s long neck outstretched. There are few more graceful birds on the water than the Mute Swan, with its arched neck and raised plumes, yet the Hooper is even ungainly looking, the neck being held straight. Hoopers are shy and wary birds, and generally keep well out from shore, except when feeding. The food of this Swan is mostly of a vegetable nature, aquatic plants and grasses, but insects and molluscs are also eaten. Its note sounds almost like the short blast of a trumpet, uttered in succession.

The Hooper Swan breeds in the Arctic regions of Europe and Asia, its favourite resorts being the islands in the deltas of the great rivers that flow into the northern ocean, or on the banks of the great lakes on the tundras, or beside one of the many creeks or inlets spreading out from the main rivers. This Swan pairs for life. The huge nest is composed of coarse grass and other herbage, piled up on the ground, and often increased in bulk as incubation proceeds. The eggs, from three to seven in number, are creamy-white in colour and rough in texture.

BEWICK’S SWAN

Long confused with the preceding Swan, the distinctness of the present species was recognised by Yarrell, who named it Cygnus bewicki, in honour of Thomas Bewick, naturalist and engraver on wood, known to most readers as the author of the British Birds and British Quadrupeds. Bewick’s Swan is only a winter visitor to the coasts and inland waters of the British Islands, spending the summer far away in the Arctic regions of Europe and Asia. The habits of this Swan are very similar to those of the preceding species. The bird may be distinguished from the Hooper by its much smaller size, and by the yellow patch at the base of the bill being much less in extent, never extending below the nostrils. Bewick’s Swan is perhaps not quite so maritime as the Hooper, preferring the large inland sheets of water, and more or less sheltered lochs and fjords, to the open sea. It is seen in greatest numbers in Ireland and Scotland, and during severe winters visits us in greatest numbers. At these times some of the flocks are remarkably large, numbering hundreds or even thousands of individuals. Its food is not known to differ from that of the preceding species; its flight is equally rapid; and its note, short and musical, has been syllabled as tong. Imposing as these birds are, and by no means rare, they can scarcely be classed as very prominent features of the bird-life of the sea, so far as ordinary observation goes.

Bewick’s Swan reaches its Arctic summer haunts towards the end of May. Although its eggs have been obtained on the islands in the deltas of the Petchora and the Yenesay, these were taken by unscientific observers. Mr. Trevor-Battye, so far as I know, was the first naturalist to see the nest and take the eggs of Bewick’s Swan, on the island of Kolguev. This nest – of which he gives a beautiful figure7– he describes as a mound, about two and a-half feet high, and four and a-half feet in diameter at the base, perfectly smooth, and tapering to the circular top, which was not more than two feet across. It was made of little bunches of green moss, with a few scraps of lichen, and a little dry grass pulled up with the moss. The cavity at the top was lined with dead grass, mixed with a little down. This nest contained three eggs. These are smaller and whiter than those of the Hooper.