Shag

Shag

Phalacrocorax aristotelis

The shag is widely distributed on the western coast of the Murmansk region, in Norway, Iceland, the British Isles, Ireland, the coast of Western Europe as far as the islands of the Mediterranean and also on the coast of southeastern Europe. In some places it is resident, in others a dispersive bird. It is found exclusively on seacoasts, mainly ones with steep rocky cliffs. In winter it is also found on the coasts of the North and Baltic seas. Only rarely does it stray inland. It nests in looser colonies than the common cormorant. The nest, made of seaweed, grass, leaves and small twigs, is placed on rock ledges. As a rule the female lays two to six eggs between the beginning of April and end of June, which the partners take turns incubating for thirty to thirty-two days. Within half an hour of hatching the young are already clamoring for food, which the parents give them three to four times daily. The young feed by thrusting their heads into the throats of the parent birds. They remain in the nest for 47 to 50 days and then take to the water, though they are as yet unable to fly. They begin to try their wings at the age of 55 to 58 days. The rate of mortality among the young is high as many as eighty percent may die during the first year, whereas that of adult birds is around fourteen percent. The shag feeds exclusively on fish, for which it dives to depths of twenty meters.

Size of egg	56.6-74.6X34.9-41.7 mm
Length	76 cm. Male and female have similar plumage.
Voice	Usual note a loud, rasping croak

Cormorant

Cormorant

phalacrocorax carbo

Cormorants breed over Asia, Europe and North America, In Europe, the species is found in large numbers on coasts but also inland on rivers and lakes. Both a dispersive and a migratory bird, when migrating it keeps close to the shore, It nest, as well as in trees, and the gatherings may number several thousand pairs of birds. Inland, cormorants can be found breeding in heroines.

Nests on rock ledges are only sparingly lined, nests in trees are woven of twigs and grass stems.

The bird may build a new nest using the foundation of an old one. Both partners take part in the construction, in tree colonies breaking twigs with their strong beaks. The female lays three to five eggs between April and June, both partners taking turns to incubate for 23 to 29 days. The chicks do not open their eyes until three days after hatching. Food is taken from the parent’s throats. After 35 to 56 days in the nest, the juvenile birds form flocks and range widely together with the adult birds. Cormorants feed mostly on fish, occasionally on crustaceans, and especially crabs, which it may catch in great numbers. They hunt in small groups, say eight birds, harrying the fish into a compact shoal, pursuing their prey underwater. Undigested bones and scales are regurgitated. In parts of their range, cormorants will be found in company with pelicans.

Size of egg	56.2-70.8 X 33.8-44.4mm
Length	91.5 cm. Male and female have similar plumage.
Voice	Various guttural groans.

Gannet

Gannet

Sula bassana

In Europe, gannets breed on the coasts of Ireland, England, Scotland, Brittany, Norway, Ice Land, Faroes and other small island in the area. This is a truly pelagic species which spend most of its life on the open sea, although young birds occasionally stray inland. The birds arrive at their breeding grounds between February and early April,

forming enormous breeding colonies (one, in the Outer Hebrides, is 70,000 strong), generally on rocky island, on an open, elevated spot. The nest is made of seaweed, Grass and pieces of wood and there may be as many as two or three to a square meter. The female lays a single, thick-shelled egg, which both partners incubate in turns for 39 to 46 days. Sometimes the chick takes more than a day to peck its way out, and up to another three days before opening its eyes. Covered With a thin coat of down and having a fantastic appetite, it is fed by the adult birds day and night, taking food by thrusting its head right into gannet’s throat. By 11 weeks the chick weighs a kilogram more than an adult. It abandons the nest at 75 days, as yet incapable of flight, but able to swim. Sometimes it travels as far as 70 kilometers from the colony before taking to the air, usually between 95 and 107 days. Having abandoned the colony, a young gannet must fend for itself, which it does by catching herring, mackerel and sardines. An excellent diver, it hunts by day and night.

(Migratory bird)

Size of egg	62.0-87.5X41.0-54.0 mm
Length	91.5 cm. Male and female have similar plumage.
Voice	Usually a barking sound ‘arrah’ and similar noises.

Fulmar

Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

During the breeding season, the stocky but brilliantly aerobatic fulmar is distributed through Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, Brittany, Greenland, Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean and the western coast of Norway. At other times, it keeps to the high seas. Both dispersive as well as migratory, it arrives at its nesting grounds any time from December to April, assembling offshore in huge ‘rafts’. Not until the end of April (more often in May or early June) does it move ashore to cliffs or rocky islands. There it breeds in a colony sometimes numbering hundreds or even thousands of birds of birds. The nests are unlined, spaced between 1 and 5 meters apart, and places on rocky ledges. The female lays one egg (occasionally two), which the partners take turns incubating for about 52 days. The young are fed only once a day and during the first two weeks are kept warm by one or other of the parents. They leave the nest after 48 to 57 days already capable of flight, but do not attain maturity until the age of seven years. The fulmar feeds on pelagic mollusks, crustaceans and fish, generally gathered from the surface. Only rarely does it dive and then to a depth of 1 meter at the most.

Size of egg	67.0-81.43.2-54.8 mm
Length	47 cm. Male and female have similar plumage.
Voice	A horse, chuckling ‘ag-ag-ag-arrr’.

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Podiceps ruficollis

The little grebe inhabits the whole of Europe except the north; inhabiting eastern Europe are migrant and the populations of central, western and southern Europe are resident. The species is found on lakes, ponds and slow moving water courses with overgrown banks. It will also be encountered on very small pools with banks thickly bordered by reeds. A remarkably shy bird, it remains concealed in thickets most of the time, venturing onto the open water only rarely. The birds arrive at the breeding grounds already paired, partners often remaining together throughout the winter. Courtship display begins shortly after arrival: the male puts his head back, ruffles his feathers, pecks at the water and often kicks up spray with his feet. He is very tenacious in defending his nesting territory. There is a first brood in April and second in June or July. The nest, consisting of a pile of rotting water plants, floats on the water it rests on the bottom and in deeper water is firmly anchored. As a rule, the female lays four to six eggs. Both partners share the duties of incubation for 20 to 21 days, and both tend the young for eight to ten weeks. The little grebe’s diet consists of insects and their larvae, small moluscs, worms, crustaceans, tadpoles, as well as small fish, which it hunts mostly underwater.

(Migratory or resident bird)

Size of egg	32.8-43.0X23.0-28.3 mm
Length	27 cm. Male and female have similar plumage.
Voice	A trilling ‘whit, whit’.

Black-necked Grebe

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

The black-necked grebe was originally a native of southeastern Europe, but during the past 80 years has become widespread throughout western and central Europe, in Italy, England, Holland, eastern France and southern Spain. Eastern European populations are migratory. This species is partial to shallow but large ponds and lakes with extensive vegetation for cover. Pairs of birds return to the nesting grounds in March and April and begin their courtship display shortly after their arrival: partners swim rapidly towards each other; raise heads erect and shake them. This is a gregarious bird which stays in groups even when nesting, forming colonies with a great number of nests spaced several yards apart, though they may be more densely clustered. The nest, of rotting vegetation, is located on water among reeds, though it may float freely at the edge of a reed bed. It is the female who builds while the male brings material. The clutch, consisting of three, four or sometimes as many as six eggs, is laid from April to June and both partners share the duties of incubation for 19 to 23 days. The nestlings are carried about on their parent’s backs, being cared for by them for a number of weeks. Diet consists of insects and their larvae, Small mollusks and crustaceans as well as tadpoles and small fish. The black-necked grebe hunts under water, usually at depths of no more than two meters.

(Migratory or resident bird)

Size of egg	39.0-48.5X27.1-34.0  mm
Length	30 cm. Male and female have similar plumage.
Voice	Whistling notes that sound like ‘poo-eep’.

Great Crested Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

The great crested grebe is widespread throughout most of Europe except the north, inhabiting lakes or large ponds with large beds of reeds and rushes. In northern and eastern parts of the range, birds are migratory, elsewhere resident. They sometimes return to their breeding grounds as early as February, but more usually in March or April. An interesting courtship ceremonial takes place: the partners, separated by several yards, first greet one another by stretching their necks out along the water’s surface. Then they swim towards each other, spreading their crests, nodding their heads and finally embracing each other by rubbing necks. The birds call to each other throughout. Sometimes they dive, surfacing with a piece of greenery in their bills and treading water face to face with heads erect. The nest is made of various aquatic plants brought up from the depths. The female lays three to six eggs which are white at first, but then gradually acquire a brownish hue. Both partners take turns incubating for 25 to 27 days, though the female takes the major share. After the nestlings have dried, they climb onto their parent’s backs and partially conceal themselves under the wings, so to be carried about even through capable of swimming and diving by themselves. The parents feed the young small insects and molluscs; adult birds take mostly insect larvae and fish.

(Migratory, dispersive or resident bird)

Size of egg	46.5-62.7X33.0-39.7 mm
Length	48 cm. Male and female have similar plumage.
Voice	A deep ‘har-arr’ or ‘er-wick’, mainly during the courtship period.