Zan's Wildlife Diary: New life on the River Esk

I was also lucky to find and watch a family of foxes and roe deer providing for their babies. May and June are definitely my favourite months to watch the new lives emerging in East Lothian.

A few weeks ago, I came across three families of Canada geese that were nesting on the riverbanks. Before I knew it, Musselburgh welcomed the first batch of goslings that brought some joy to the community. Since then, social media has been flooded with photos of the feathery stars as the cute birdies have been attracting numerous visitors.

Every day the goslings were getting bigger and bigger. When eventually all the eggs hatched, all three families reunited and were chilling together at the river. It was easy to recognise the individual families as the young birds were of different sizes. I could not believe how quickly the birds were growing; the bigger they were getting, the less of an attraction they were. It was quite funny to watch their last stage of development – with their long legs and awkwardly big body, the young birds were not goslings anymore but not yet adults. To be quite honest, they resembled mini dinosaurs!

There were also families of goosanders and mallards (the first ones being my favourite).

The goosander is a medium-sized duck that belongs to the sawbills family – a group of birds with long, narrow bills and saw-like ‘teeth’ which are perfect for catching and gripping fish. Goosanders are excellent swimmers and divers with great vision – they can stay underwater up to two minutes and fish even after dark.

Image: Zaneta Threlfall

The male goosander is white with a dark green, metallic head and black back. The female is grey with a red head and white throat. Both sexes have a long, red bill.

Goosanders often nest in hollow trees along the riverbank.

The Canada goose, also called Canadian goose, is a large bird in the waterfowl family. It has a black head with a white patch on the cheek, a black neck and grey-brown body. It is Britain’s most familiar goose, although it is not native to the UK and was introduced to this country about 300 years ago.

Canada geese are widely spread and commonly seen nesting at the rivers and ponds. Each year, they return to the same nesting sites and either reuse the old nests or build a new one. The nests are made of grass and feathers but also other materials – sadly, one of the nests that I was watching at the Esk had rubbish and a plastic bottle in it.

The mallard is a large and heavy duck with a long body and a broad bill. The male has a dark green, metallic head and a yellow bill, while the female is mainly brown with an orange bill.

Image: Zaneta Threlfall

The much-loved mallard is our most familiar duck, commonly found across the country. Mallards nest on the ground, where they make a shallow depression using their bodies and line it with grass and feathers.

I was also spoilt with recent sightings of a family of mute swans. Mute swans – known for their grace and beauty – are one of our most iconic waterbirds. They are also considered to be a symbol of a romantic love, as swans mate for life and form a perfect love heart with their necks.

Image: Zaneta Threlfall

The mute swan is commonly found throughout the country. Their nests are huge and often built at the water’s edge. While the male gathers nesting material (sticks, dried grass and rushes), the female constructs the nest. The female lays six to seven eggs which are then incubated by both parents. The young swans are called cygnets and, if you are lucky, you can spot them as they ride on the parent’s back.

If you like feeding our birds, please try avoiding bread and use sweetcorn, lettuce and seeds instead. They are much more loved and beneficial to the wildlife.

Speak to you next month!

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