Research, Conservation and Education

Goose censuses Pink-footed Goose A nser brachyrhyn chus.The annual autumn census was carried out on 6th/7th November.65,000 Pinkfeet were counted, a drop of about 7,000 on the previous year.There were 22.2% young birds present indicating an average breeding success, though the mean brood size was low at 1.9. European White-fronted Goose A nser albifrons albifrons.Peak numbers were very low at 6,000 in mid-January.The main causes of the low numbers were the mild winter and a very poor breeding season (8.5% young birds with a mean brood size of 2.0). Greenland White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons flavirostris.Despite a very poor breeding season ( 12% young birds), num bers in the two main haunts in Eire and western Scotland were about average.No complete census was attempted. Greylag Goose A nser anser.The annual census on 6th/7th November showed there were 64,000 Greylags in the country, almost the same as in the previous year.T he breeding season was of below aver age success (17.5% young; mean brood size 1.8).Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis.The Solway wintering population, which breeds in Svalbard, reached a peak of 3,700 in November.There were 15% young birds; mean brood size 1.8.The Greenland population also had a below average breeding season with 13.6% young birds and a mean brood size of 1.8.However, the main wintering haunt of Islay showed a further slight increase in numbers with 16,500 in November and 17,000 in March.No counts were made elsewhere in its wintering range.Light-bellied Brent Goose Branta berni cla hrota.T he maximum count at Lindisfarne was about 700 in mid-February.There was no complete count in Ireland this winter. Dark-bellied Brent Goose Branta berni cla bernicla.Following two very good breeding seasons, 1971 was an almost total failure with less than 1% of young birds in the flocks.Not surprisingly the maxi mum counted in Britain was down on last winter, to 18,000 in mid-January. M .A .O .Duck counts Shelduck Tadorna tadorna.Unusually large numbers were present and the sea sonal index was easily the highest on record, the previous highest being in 1969-70.Many arrived before the November count and a further major in flux occurred in January.Teal Anas crecca.The last two years have seen a welcome increase in this species.Although the seasonal index was slightly lower than that for 1970-71, it was higher than the seven previous ones.For the second successive year there was an influx in mid-winter, probably from the Nether lands, and the Ouse Washes held 5,320 in December.In February numbers were unusually high in western England. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos.There was a marked decrease in numbers from the level reached in the previous year, but the seasonal index was close to normal, in fact five of the last seven years have had very similar seasonal indices.In the autumn and early winter numbers were high in south-east England and low in Scotland, but by late winter numbers were generally low.Poor breeding results in 1971 may have been at least partly responsible for the decrease.Wigeon Anas penelope.A total of 35,556 were counted on the Ouse Washes on 11th February and about 23,000 at Lindisfarne in early winter, but apart from these two concentrations numbers elsewhere were generally lower than usual.Nevertheless, it was another very good season and the February index was the best for sixteen years.Pochard Aythya ferina.This was an ex tremely good year with Scottish counts being particularly satisfactory.In January there was a peak of 7,500 on a loch near Edinburgh.A sharp increase in numbers occurred in 1965-66 and in spite of a few poorer years since, the population is apparently holding at this high level. Numbers of duck ringed each month at Abberton in 1971.