The Numbers and Distribution of the Canada Goose in Suffolk, 1972

THE

NUMBERS CANADA

AND

GOOSE

DISTRIBUTION

OF

IN

1972

SUFFOLK,

THE

W . H . PAYN

INFORMATION on the status and numbers of the Canada goose in Suffolk prior to 1945 is very limited. The species had not then been admitted to the British list and Ticehurst gave it scant mention.

Churchill Babbington (1884/86), quoting earlier writers, stated that flocks of itinerant Canada geese were seen from time to time on the Suffolk coast. He knew of about a dozen occurrences of flocks numbering from one or two to more than forty. The earliest record was of eleven seen at Wrentham in June, 1855, with eleven more at Aldeburgh in 1867 and fifteen Aying south along Gt. Yarmouth beach two years later. With the exception of single birds shot at Saxham in 1861 and Rougham in 1875, all occurrences were on or near the coast and all took place between the months of March and June.

In brief general comments on the species at the time he wrote, Babington said that "many are kept and bred on large pieces of water as at . . . Riddlesworth and Culford, some of which escape and may pass for wild birds".

Ticehurst (1932) confined his comments on this goose to half a dozen lines or so. It was, he said, kept full-winged on various private waters where it bred. Its occurrence elsewhere was due to "escapes".

Up to about 1945 the Canada goose was still confined as a breeding bird to a few old-established colonies on private waters in western and central Suffolk, the main ones being at Livermere, Culford, and Redgrave. We have no information as to total numbers, but it was probably no more than fifty breeding pairs, the birds having been severely controlled by shooting and egging during the war years.

In 1950 the first Suffolk Bird Report summarised the distribution as "Resident, West Suffolk". There were no records away from that area in that year.

During the past twenty years it has been evident that a considerable increase in numbers as well as a marked extension of ränge, has been taking place in Suffolk.

In Order to obtain a more accurate picture of present-day numbers in the county, the Suffolk Naturalists' Society undertook, during the spring of 1972, a survey and census of breeding and non-breeding birds at all known breeding localities. The count

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CANADA GOOSE IN SUFFOLK

took place on 30th April, when it was thought that all birds likely to breed that year would be sitting on eggs. In fact a number had already hatched young.

It is believed that the entire county was effectively covered, though a few isolated pairs may have been overlooked.

For the purpose of the survey the county was divided into nine areas, each being covered by a team of observers. These areas, with the number of geese recorded therein were:— Breeding Site pairs 1. Coastal Belt, Gt. Yarmouth to Aldeburgh Heveningham Hall Reydon Minsmere Level Sibton Park Sibton Whitehouse T h o r p e Mere Gt. Glemham House 2.

Coastal Belt, Aldeburgh to Cattawade Kings Fleet, Felixstowe 1 Boyton 1

3.

River W a v e n e y , Breydon to D i s s Sotterley Hall Weybread Pits

4.

5.

Non-breeding birds (singleslmated pairs)

3 6

River W a v e n e y / R i v e r Little Ouse, D i s s to Thetford Thelnetham Fen 1 (captive) Redgrave Park 4 Redgrave, New Waters 18 Euston Lake 1 Rushford 2 Barnham/Thetford

2 30

60 12

37 15

River Little Ouse, Thetford to Cambs

6. Suffolk Breckland a n d vicinity Livermere Culford Lackford Pits Flempton Barton Mere Fornham

13 12

7.

South-West Suffolk i n c l u d i n g River Stour to Sudbury Chevington Hall 1 (captive) Stoke by Clare/Clare Pits 16 Glemsford Pits Long Melford

8.

River Stour, Sudbury to Cattawade Cornard Mere Bures Pits Cattawade

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Site 9. Central Suffolk T h o r p e Morieux Hall Acton Pits Drinkstone Lake Needham Market Ringshall Bacton / Wyverstone Wetherden Barham Pits Total

Breeding pairs

1 1 1 1 1 2 2 105

Non-breeding (singles/mated

birds pairs)

2 6 7

1 229

Remarks General. T h e survey disclosed rather lower summer numbers of breeding and non-breeding birds than had been expected. At Culford and Livermere, two of their main strongholds in the past, the geese are now much persecuted owing to their alleged damage to agriculture. T h e y are still protected at their Redgrave site.

Although not many captive birds were reported, there is no doubt that some—probably a good deal—of the colonisation of new areas during the past twenty years has been effected by birds which have escaped or been released from captivity.

Nesting sites. T h e majority of breeding birds were found to be established on islands in or on the banks of lakes or large ponds on estates where they receive partial or complete protection. Islands in flooded gravel pits were also favoured. These situations evidently afford greater security from predation—particularly human predation—than do open river banks. Breeding success at the latter sites was generally low.

Brood sizes. Brood sizes were variable, ranging from a single young to seven. Four or five goslings were most usual.

Winter numbers. As a follow-up of the spring census, a count of wintering geese was also made during December, 1972 and January, 1973. It was found that the wintering population was at that time very largely concentrated in two areas in the west, two in central Suffolk, and two in the east.

These were:— Livermere max. 335 Culford/Lackford 150/200 Redgrave 175 (numbers here were very stable for nearly three months) Weybread max. 200 Minsmere/Westleton 150/200 Sibton c. 800 T h e Sibton total was made u p of two separate flocks, each of some 400 birds, counted on the same day by one observer in late

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October. Other flocks from the general vicinity of Sibton in late summer included seventy-three at Benacre on 17th August and 134 at Westleton on 30th September. T h e s e birds may have congregated at Sibton later.

W e now find ourselves with a puzzle—the discrepancy between a summer population of about 4 0 0 + birds and a winter count of at least 1,800. Where did the additional birds originate? Even if we assume that each pair in the county reared a brood of four— which is highly improbable, we are still left with a difference of some 1,000 birds. T h e y must come f r o m somewhere outside Suffolk, presumably f r o m Norfolk, a county with a large population of Canada geese.

At the present time, however, there is no information as to whether or not movement does take place between the two counties. Here is a fertile field for further research.

Acknowledgements T h o s e taking part and whose help is gratefully acknowledged were :H . E. Axell Col. M . St. J. Barne C. P. Barsted G. B. G . Bensem A. Betteridge P. Bowden A. A. Butcher J. G . Carter J. W. Clarke C. H . C o m b e r R. J. C o p p i n g

T h e Earl of Cranbrook M. Cunningham T h e Lowestoft Field Club N. J. Evans R. N . H o p p e r N . Knights Mrs. N . Knights R. A. V. Marshall J. D. Morley

I. R. Murreil Miss M . Nixon O. B. Parker F. J. Pearson Mrs. V. Pizzey D. Rampling M . Robinson B. Tickner F. G. C. W a y m a n R. Westcott

Summary A breeding-season count of Canada geese in Suffolk in 1972 produced a total of about 100 breeding pairs and some 2 0 0 + nonbreeders at forty localities. T h i s compares with an estimate of not more than fifty pairs at three localities in 1945.

An incomplete count of wintering n u m b e r s showed a total of at least 1,800. Whence comes this winter surplus of some 1,400 birds? It is assumed they come from Norfolk, but this has yet to be proved.

References Babington, C. (1884). Catalogue of the Birds of Suffolk.

Ticehurst, C. B. (1932). A History of the Birds of Suffolk.

The Suffolk Bird Report, 1950.

w. H. Payn, M.B.E., F.L.S., M.B.O.U., Härtest Place, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.