Early Breeding Goosanders

During the last fifty years Goosanders have increased in number and are now seen almost daily on our local canal. The female lays up to a dozen eggs in hollow trees and only leaves them to feed twice a day, usually in the company of the male. Her eggs take four weeks to hatch and the first young are normally seen in early May. As this years breeding season is generally a late one you can imagine the surprise of finding a female on a Lancashire river with a dozen young on the 20th March. click here
Most of our summer visitors are now here with Redstart and Pied Flycatcher arriving in Lancashire yesterday(with snow overnight!). Whether we see or hear any Cuckoos remains to be seen.