Wintering Goosander

 

A male Goosander, in all its finery

Goosander are such unusual ducks and are easily one of my favourite species. The males especially looking stunning with their white breeding plumage, showing varying amounts of pinky/peach colouration. This pink colouration is thought to be linked to diet related obtained by carotenoid pigments present in some fish and crustaceans. Winter locally usually sees a small influx of these ducks between December and February, other than migrants on the coast, this is usually the best time of year to see this species which does not breed locally. 

This is one of three piscivorous duck species we get in the local area, the slightly less common Red-breasted Merganser and scarce Smew being the other two species. These saw-bills catch fish through underwater pursuit dives. Fish make up the majority of the diet, but Goosander will also frequently feed on molluscs, crustaceans, insects and amphibians. 

As with many duck species Goosander are a full or partial migrant depending on where they breed, with northern populations moving south in the winter to avoid areas where freshwater habitats freeze. British breeding Goosander typically tend not to move great distances (>150km from breeding grounds) typically from riparian breeding sites to estuaries, lake and reservoirs. This is presumably due to the difficulty feeding in rivers when flow rates increase and they enter the flood phase.

In Europe birds from southern Scandinavia, north Germany and Poland generally move no further than the western Baltic. Whereas more northerly breeders from central and northern Fennoscandia, and Russia move south west into the Baltic and further west into Britain and the Netherlands, and smaller numbers in France and northern Spain.

Locally this species is typically found wintering on shallow clear waterbodies like Scarborough Mere and occasionally Throxenby Mere, rarely on the sea during migration and occasionally birds like the one above on smaller rivers and larger drains.