• Home
    • COMMENTS PAGE
  • PICKERINGS PASTURE LNR
    • Latest News 2021
    • Latest News 2020
    • Wild Goose Chase
    • Sabine's Gull
    • Local News of Interest
    • World Wetlands Day
    • Things to look out for in Winter
    • Work Parties 2019 >
      • Pickerings Pasture Volunteers
    • The Kingfisher
    • What is a Scrape?
    • The Bats of Pickerings Pasture LNR
    • WeBS Counts
    • The Tidal Bore on the River Mersey
    • The Peregrine Falcon
    • Canada Geese
    • Black-tailed godwits
    • Dunlins
    • Tree Clearance
    • Top tips for your tubs
    • Pickerings Pasture Leaflet.
  • Wildlife Garden 2020
    • Plant List
    • Info on wildlife-friendly gardening
    • Making a Wildlife Garden
    • Wildlife Garden 2019
  • HALE DUCK DECOY
    • Hale Duck Decoy - Recent Events
    • Hale Duck Decoy - AT RISK
    • First Impressions
    • Wildlife photographs from Hale Duck Decoy
    • The History of Hale Duck Decoy >
      • Restoration
      • The Flood 1990
      • Dredging the Pond and Moat.
      • Tidal Surge & Flooding 2013
      • The Freemen of Hale
    • Old slides of Hale Duck Decoy
    • Booking a Decoy Guided Walk
    • Wildlife - Past and Present - on Hale Duck Decoy
  • Photo Gallery
    • The Insects at Pickerings Pasture
    • WILDLIFE Gallery
    • Little Owls
    • The Meadows at Pickerings Pasture
    • Fungus
    • Halebank Park
  • Archived Information- A Guide
    • Latest News 2019
    • Latest News 2019
    • Latest News 2018
    • A brilliant display
    • A ringing recovery
    • A Walk in Arctic Woodland
    • BBC Wildlife Magazine promotes Pickerings Pasture.
    • Canada Goose Nest 2015
    • Childe of Hale
    • Cleaning Up Pickerings Pasture
    • Great White Egret
    • Harbour Porpoise (Updated)
    • The Cornfield Meadow
    • The Kingfisher Returns
    • The Pathways Work
    • Visit by Botanical Society from Nantes, in France
    • Windblown Waif
    • Young Nature Conservationists
    • Incident down at Pickerings
    • ​The Peoples’ March for Wildlife, London
    • Rock On Barney
    • The Ibis Pool
  • LINKS
  The Friends of Pickerings Pasture - Wildlife Sightings

                               Canada Goose Eggs Survive Inundation by HighTides          Click on pictures to enlarge

After much posturing and aggression between several pairs of geese one pair of Canada Geese finally began nesting on the scrape pool at Pickerings Pasture.  Around the 9th April 2015 we noticed that she had eggs and was sitting on her nest. The male spent most of his time either swimming around the pond or standing guard on the bank nearest the fence.
Picture
The gander posturing at another pair of geese nearby.
Picture
The goose sitting on her nest.
On 19th April there was a 10 metre tide, which we knew would inundate the scrape pool and the nest. Once the tide had encroached into the pool it came in very fast and the island was soon going under water. We watched as the tide went over the nest: the female had her head under the water and she appeared to be doing something with the eggs.  Finally the tide went completely over the nest and the female just floated away. The male immediately swam over and they swam together around pond. The tide had not reached its maximum but we left shortly afterwards. We understand the nest was submerged for over half an hour.
Picture
The goose appeared to be turning her eggs underwater.
Picture
About 20 minutes before high tide.
Picture
The female swam around the nest area.
Picture
The female sitting again. The nest has moved slightly to the right.
We were surprised, when returning the following day, that she was still sitting on her nest and we saw her turning the eggs: however the nest had moved to the right before getting caught in some long grass. There was another 10m tide that day.  Because it had less wind behind it was slower to cover her nest and it was only submerged for about 25 minutes. This time she vacated the nest before the tide completely covered it.

Much to our amazement we found her sitting on the nest the next time we visited and she continued to incubate into May. In view of the tidal inundation we had no hope of any goslings hatching from the nest.

We are not sure exactly when the goslings hatched but they were seen leaving the island on Saturday, 9th May. Unbelievably nine goslings had hatched, although one soon disappeared. They were seen feeding on the area between the scrape and the river during the next 24 hours but eventually the pair took them onto Hale Marsh were the majority of Canada geese congregate.
A video of the nine goslings was filmed by Mr. V Phillips who has kindly allowed us to publish a link to it:    >>Click here
Picture
The goose with her eight goslings. Photo © Ruth Hilton
Picture
The goose and gander with their goslings. Photo © Ruth Hilton
PictureFeeding out on Hale Marsh the next day.

We, and many people we have spoken to, have never heard of any eggs hatching after being under water for so long. Perhaps history has been made!!



                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                      CA & RP Cockbain
Thanks to Ruth for the use of her photos and Vincent for the use of his video..


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.