A lesson for fishermen? Cormorants.

[The Pipe]

Boating in The Netherlands I've often had Cormorants flying just forward of the boat and diving as the boat passes popping up astern and if they have caught nothing the same procedure again. I've had them follow the boat for a mile or two doing this.

 

They certainly have the idea that disturbed water is good for fishing.

 

[ditchcrawler]

Boating in The Netherlands I've often had Cormorants flying just forward of the boat and diving as the boat passes popping up astern and if they have caught nothing the same procedure again. I've had them follow the boat for a mile or two doing this.

 

They certainly have the idea that disturbed water is good for fishing.

 

Same with Terns on the Gt Ouse and Middle Level, but sometimes they succeed

[The Pipe]

Same with Terns on the Gt Ouse and Middle Level, but sometimes they succeed

The Cormorants usually end up with something as well. They have learnt that boats=fish for supper.

Also strange that the most common bird you see is the Grebe followed by Coots then ducks, I have only seen 1 Moorhen in more than a months boating.

[Jerra]

The Cormorants usually end up with something as well. They have learnt that boats=fish for supper.

Also strange that the most common bird you see is the Grebe followed by Coots then ducks, I have only seen 1 Moorhen in more than a months boating.

Which of the Grebes? I can't remember when I last saw a Grebe on the canals.

[little duck!]

All of the moorhens must be up Cheshire way then! i've seen loads this year including a mother with 6 chicks by our mooring!

[The Pipe]

Which of the Grebes? I can't remember when I last saw a Grebe on the canals.

Mainly Great Crested Grebe's but others which I have not identified. Loads of Cormorants on the canals.

[Jerra]

Mainly Great Crested Grebe's but others which I have not identified. Loads of Cormorants on the canals.

The other is almost certainly Little Grebe (or Dabchick) the only other Grebes found at all regularly in the UK are Slavonian and Black Necked both mainly winter visitors. Those that do summer here are almost exclusively confined to Scotland.

 

Which canals are we talking about?

[Ricco1]

Stillwater fisheries up and down the country are blighted by cormorants. Rivers too. So much so that many waters that were once teeming with small/ medium sized fish, roach for example, now hold only a few bigger fish.

 

But here in the north west, I've only ever once seen a cormorant on a canal. Maybe they stick to the quieter stretches?

[The Pipe]

The other is almost certainly Little Grebe (or Dabchick) the only other Grebes found at all regularly in the UK are Slavonian and Black Necked both mainly winter visitors. Those that do summer here are almost exclusively confined to Scotland.

 

Which canals are we talking about?

I keep my boat in Zeewolde which is on Wolderwijd, Veluwemeer area in Flevoland. The canals I've been on are in Overijssel and Friesland areas. Loads of wildlife especially water based.

[ditchcrawler]

Which of the Grebes? I can't remember when I last saw a Grebe on the canals.

Very common on the Gt Ouse and other Fenland waterways

[paul68]

Cormorants have decimated some fisheries, it's not their fault as they have to eat but overfishing on the sea has driven a lot of them inland looking for food.Unfortunately it's the rivers and lakes that have suffered as a result. Common sense and a lot of lobbying by fishery owners has resulted in cormorants being allowed to be culled.

Very common on the Gt Ouse and other Fenland waterways

Yes i see quite a few when I am fishing on the fens.

[Jerra]

Very common on the Gt Ouse and other Fenland waterways

Thanks I don't get over that side of the country. I note Dabchicks are much scarcer than I remember from the 60/70s

[cheshire~rose]

Although not exactly on the canal we saw these on The Weaver at Winsford. It is very close to the canal but I suspect the wider expanses of water on the river would mean they would stay there rather than go to the canal. Clearly they are breeding there though as this is a parent with a juvenile

 

[Pappa Lazarou]

Jerra talks tosh, there are Slavonian Grebes all the year round on the Trent at Shardlow.

[cheshire~rose]

The RSPB seem to confirm what Jerra said

 

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/slavoniangrebe/index.aspx

[Jerra]

Jerra talks tosh, there are Slavonian Grebes all the year round on the Trent at Shardlow.

Interesting if you nare sureof your identification please inform the British Trust for Ornithology at

 

TO

The Nunnery

Thetford

Norfolk IP24 2PU

Tel: 01842 750050

Fax: 01842 750030

Email: info@bto.org

 

as they aren't aware of that.

 

They do look like this don't they.

 

http://www.stevenround-birdphotography.com/source/image/slavonian-grebe-13.jpg

[madcat]

What a smart bird, I love the Crested Grebes as well. My favourite water birds

[Jerra]

What a smart bird, I love the Crested Grebes as well. My favourite water birds

In breeding plumage the males are absolutely stunning - but only about half the size of the Great Crested.

[The Pipe]

What a smart bird, I love the Crested Grebes as well. My favourite water birds

There was a crested Grebe nesting just in front of my boat nice little strippey chicks keep stickinging there heads out from under the parents wing, not bothered about people walking up and down the jetty.

[cheshire~rose]

One of my favourite memories from our holiday was two separate occasions when I got to watch Great Crested Grebes, the first was on a lake where the young were following the parents around crying for food and periodically one would try and climb on Mum's back only to be shooed off - I suspect hey were a bit too old for piggy backs!

The second occasion Mum was on the nest with the male bringing more nesting materials but there were already 3 juveniles on the water so this must have been a second brood. The young were constantly practising their take off and landings. Wonderful! I managed to get a couple of reasonable photo's too.

 

I would love to see the Slavonian Grebe. ... maybe one day

[Kwacker]

I've never seen a Great Crested Grebe on our patch of canal (GU Leicester arm), but you see the little beauties on the feeder reservoirs.

[Jerra]

I would love to see the Slavonian Grebe. ... maybe one day

If you are ever heading towards the Cairngorms in summer I could give you some hints.

[Pappa Lazarou]

They was there fifteen years ago whence I had my first narrowboat, and still there today, some experts !!!!

[Jerra]

They was there fifteen years ago whence I had my first narrowboat, and still there today, some experts !!!!

Have you done as I asked in my PM and notified the BTO? If not can you please do it soon. As I said in the PM the whole of the country has been surveyed over the last few years (2007 -11) each place being visited a number of times. Slavs weren't present in England when the first Atlas was produced in 76. They haven't been found in any of the subsequent atlases so that is a great number of survey hours by a great number of different people who have missed them.

 

You really have a special sighting there so please send the details of how many you think you saw and roughly when e.g. summer 2000 to the BTO

 

As I said in my PM I would really like to be proved to be talking tosh. I look forward to hearing of the report from the BTO

 

PS for the benefit of Ditchcrawler who didn't reply to my query as to why he thought the BTO "would say that" the BTO are not an organisation who protect birds (well not in the way the RSPB does) their existence revolves round study and data gathering.

 

EDIT: Perhaps you could give Cheshire -Rose some detailed description of the areas you saw them in she will probably be more likely to be on the canals than roaming round the Cairgorms which is their only other known summer stronghold in the UK

Edited August 14, 2013 by Jerra

[cheshire~rose]

I

 

 

EDIT: Perhaps you could give Cheshire -Rose some detailed description of the areas you saw them in she will probably be more likely to be on the canals than roaming round the Cairgorms which is their only other known summer stronghold in the UK

 

I think that is an excellent plan!

 

As Pappa lives in the same street as me he knows what a relatively short distance it is for me to get to the area he speaks of I would dearly love to drive down to the area and spend an early morning by the water watching. While I am not all that informed where birdwatching goes (having picked up most of my limited knowledge from growing up in a family of birdwatchers) I do have a reasonable, if basic, pair of binoculars and a reasonable camera with a telephoto lens. It is certainly a lot closer than The Cairngorms!

 

I dearly want to spend some time exploring Scotland some time and will message you before I go Jerra thanks

I hope no one objects if I share a few of the photo's I took of Great Crested Grebes while on my travels a couple of weeks ago?

 

These were taken on the reservoir above the dam at Lymm

 

 

This is one of the juveniles practising its take off and landing manouvres

 

 

 

 

While this is a very poor quality photo it was taken in early morning with low light levels and these birds were a long distance away in the centre of the lake at Westport Lakes on The Trent & Mersey

 

 

There were some very young grebes around this pair too

Edited August 15, 2013 by cheshire~rose