Bird Watch:
Their honking flight marks the change of seasons, says Ruth
MANY things signify the onset of autumn and the cooler weather. The turning leaves, spiders’ webs glistening with morning dew, ripening blackberries and sloes jewelling the hedges, those chill, sunny mornings with a hint of wistfulness.
But for me, if there is one thing, one sound that conveys the turning of the seasons, it’s the lateafternoon honking of V-shaped skeins of Canada geese as they pass overhead on their way to their evening feeding grounds, often in the surrounding fields.
These waterfowl are the UK’s largest and most numerous geese, though they are not native to this country. A few were introduced to St James’s Park in London from North America in the 1700s and we now have 62,000 breeding pairs, with almost 200,000 individuals coming to these shores to overwinter. They are common throughout most of Britain, apart from central Scotland, and they are so numerous they are considered a pest in areas where they flock in large numbers, damaging crops and fouling parkland with their droppings. Canada geese have heavy, grey-brown brindled bodies, a black head and neck, and white cheek patches, though there are various subspecies with variations of plumage. Pairs are thought to mate for life and build nests on the ground close to water. The nests are made of twigs and reeds and lined with goose down. Eggs are laid in clutches of four-six and the goslings are able to take to the water within a few hours of hatching, which is essential as their nests are vulnerable to predation.
The birds have a varied diet of grass, seeds, tadpoles and snails, though their habit of eating crop grains puts them at odds with farmers and has given the nickname of ‘most hated bird in Britain’. They are protected, apart from during the open season between September and the end of January, when they can be shot by appropriate licence holders.