ON THE WILD SIDE Tooth about shy sawbills

Shy or not, these guys are hard to mistake. They are huge ducks and are usually gathered in groups on our rivers and ponds. The two sexes also look strikingly different, with the males mostly bright white with black markings and smooth, shiny, dark green heads. The females appear skinnier and are a sooty grey colour with shaggy, red-brown heads. Both sexes have long, thin, hooked beaks that are filled with rows of what appear to be teeth. IT doesn’t feel like it’s winter until I’ve spotted goosanders swimming away from me down the river as fast as they can. Yes, we do have them all year but UK numbers of these large ducks triple every year as European birds look for somewhere more welcoming

Why would a duck need teeth you ask? Well this family of waterfowl – the sawbills as they are known – are very unusual because to spend the colder months. You can see them all year in some parts of Scotland, northern England, south Wales and Cornwall. But in the winter they sprawl out and can be spotted in all parts of the UK.

You’ll need a bit of luck though as they are very shy.

they aren’t your normal docile bread and veggies eaters. Goosanders are one of the few British ducks which aggressively hunt down fish. Salmon and trout are their favourite meals. They swim after them and grip them with their serrated beaks before swallowing them whole. They also cooperate in hunting if the prey is good, with groups using teamwork to round up and catch their prey. Unlike most ducks, which nest on river banks, goosanders like to lay their eggs in holes in trees and buildings, like barn owls. Unlike the owls, the chicks don’t stay in the nest until they are old enough to

LOVE A DUCK: Goosander’s always turn birders’ headsfly. They hurl themselves to the ground a few days after hatching. These dive-bombing, saw-beaked little balls of fluff will often jump from 30ft or more. Although you can see goosanders in Britain in the summer, the males disappear from our shores every June. Turns out that they ditch the females and fly all the way to Norway to shed their feathers before returning home. That’s one hell of a trip just to change your clothes!

FROGS will start to emerge from their hidey-holes this month before returning to ponds to look for mates. Even with cold weather ahead, they may start to spawn. Bad timing, but they can do it again!