Goosander

There is no finer winter duck than the drake goosander. A large, striking bird, combining bottle green head with pink-washed white body and a massive hooked bill, it is an imposing sight. The bill is also serrated, helping it to keep hold of its main prey - fish! The picture to the left is actually of the rather drabber female.

There were three male goosander on the Maxey Pits on 13th December, with five females, in two separate groups. This is one of their strongholds in Peterborough, with up to 30 seen there in previous winters.

The goosander first started breeding in this country in 1871 and has since spread as far south as Derbyshire. Interestingly it nests in holes - sometimes in trees, but also in rabbit burrows and nest boxes. Most nests are close to fast flowing rivers in upland areas.

Until quite recently there was something of a mystery about the goosander. The vast majority of males disappeared every year in June and reappeared in October - no one knew where they went.
They have now been discovered - congregating around four fjords in the far north of Norway. The males fly there every year to moult, leaving the females to raise the chicks.