A Weaver’s Web novel excerpt: Henry and Sarah Wakefield argue

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a weaver's web, Albert Wakefield, Benjamin Wakefield, Henry Wakefield, historical fiction, historical novel, Manchester, Sarah Wakefield

‘Wait till I get my hands on him, wherever he is, the scoundrel,’ Henry said as the three walked home, their jackets pulled up against rain and wind. Without a lamp and with cloud covering the moon, they could hardly see.

When Henry and Benjamin got home, Sarah heated some water and made them tea. Having no dry clothing, they wrapped themselves in old cloths and sacks from the beds and sat shivering by the fire as they drank their hot drinks. Benjamin coughed and spluttered. He had caught a fever just after Christmas and was quite sick for several weeks. Sarah prayed he wouldn’t have a relapse and gave him extra medicine. They had potatoes for supper. Later the children went to bed and still Albert hadn’t come back.

‘I do hope he’s all right,’ Sarah said from the armchair, looking up from her sewing, her face pale and drawn. She pricked her finger and a drop of blood fell onto her lap, but she didn’t realise it. Her thoughts were with Albert.

Henry was at the table, reading a pamphlet. ‘Gone to a friend’s house, I suspect, and lost track of time.’ Soon he was staring at the wall in front of him. Twice he jumped up when he thought he heard somebody outside. When he went to the door to check, it was just the wind blowing through the trees and rustling leaves on the ground.

‘What if he’s lying injured somewhere?’ Sarah said. ‘Or what if someone’s kidnapped him – put him in a cart and taken him to a workhouse and put him in chains, thinking he’s an orphan?’

‘That only happens in the cities.’

She looked at him coldly. ‘Well, I hope you’re satisfied, Henry.’

‘What do you mean? It’s not my fault he’s missing.’

‘You’re teaching him wrong principles, making us go to a chapel instead of church,’ she said. ‘And those reform meetings!’ She threw her head back.

‘Oh, I see. So it’s better to teach him he’s poor and has to eat potatoes and can’t go to weekday school or find work because he’s sinned, and because the family’s sinned,’ Henry said, pushing his pamphlet aside and glaring at her. ‘And you think we can go along and listen to Father Edmond and all will be forgiven and we’ll no longer be in our predicament.’

‘You won’t let him do factory work. That’s why he’s poor. That’s why we’re poor. You want us all working from home, and there’s no work.’

‘Sarah, I don’t care if we earn a shilling a week and have to live under a tree and eat roots, no one’s working in a factory.’ Henry got up and paced the room.

‘And that’s why we’re poor,’ she repeated calmly, and kept sewing. ‘And it’s also why he can’t go to work or school, and stay out of mischief.’

Henry stood in front of her. ‘And that’s why the answer is reform, Sarah. We’re fighting for better wages for everybody. Then we can send the children to school again. And feed and clothe them properly.’

‘Yes, fighting. That’s all reform leads to – fighting within families and among friends. And the authorities and aristocrats get cross and put a stop to it, but not before blood is spilt.’

‘Do nothing, then. Go back to the church. Suffer. See if I care,’ he said, bending over her and placing a hand on each side of the chair.

She stopped sewing and looked up at him. His eyes were full of rage and she knew she had to do something to calm him. She worried that the children would wake and hear them arguing. Fearing for her own safety, she put her sewing on her knee, freeing both arms in case she had to defend herself. She didn’t move or say anything, hoping his anger would ease. He had never physically hurt her, but she worried he might lose control one day and lash out at her as if she was an agent recruiting factory workers, or a priest or a churchgoer he didn’t like the look of.

He took a deep breath. His eyes went smaller and he started to blink again. The crevices in his face became shallower. Standing up straight and stepping back from her, he looked away and shook his head in despair. She knew the worst of his storm had passed.

She sighed and said softly: ‘I hope the Lord has mercy on you.’

Henry ignored her and marched up and down. ‘Where is he? It must be nine o’clock. If he went to friends, they’d have sent him home long ago.’

… end of excerpt …

My historical novel, A Weaver’s Web, is available from the following outlets:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H52SEEK

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H52SEEK

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00H52SEEK

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Pearce_A_Weaver_s_Web?id=-hlJAgAAQBAJ

Kobo Books: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ww/books/A-Weavers-Web/jHgKZNwqjkybm8qWDO3mcw?MixID=jHgKZNwqjkybm8qWDO3mcw&PageNumber=1

Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/a-weavers-web/id775610928?mt=11

A Weaver’s Web novel excerpt: A near death experience

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a weaver's web, historical fiction, historical novel, lunatic asylum, Manchester, Miss Brody, near death experience, Rosanna, Sarah Wakefield

A noise at the other end of the room distracted her from her thoughts. A woman in a grey uniform stood in the doorway, the biggest woman Sarah had ever seen, even larger than the one she and Alice saw exhibited in Manchester recently for a shilling a look after they had been to the market. The woman was flanked by two men, much smaller than her.

Sarah sat down again and looked at Rosanna. ‘Who’s that?’

But Rosanna pulled a tatty blanket that had been folded on the end of her bed right up. Sarah saw other women in the room do the same, many peeping over the top of their blanket. This huge woman marched from bed to bed, stopping briefly at some, maybe to instil further fear. She came to Rosanna’s bed.

‘Please, Miss Brody,’ Rosanna said, ‘I’ve had a bath this month.’

The woman then came to Sarah’s bed. ‘Are you the new one? They told me about you.’ Her voice was deep and gruff. A short haircut accentuated her manly appearance.

Sarah cringed. ‘I … don’t need one either, Ma’am.’

Brody came at her, arms thick and hairy, whisking her up and holding her in the cradle position as if she was a baby.

‘Put me down. I … I’m a lady.’

‘We’ve got to get rid of those voices. Evil spirits don’t like water, you know.’

Sarah kicked and screamed, but Brody carried her out of the dormitory with little effort and down a long, dark corridor. No help was needed from the assistants who followed quietly behind. Sarah kept struggling, though she knew it was no use against the might of this woman. She closed her eyes and opened them again, hoping she would wake up and discover it was all just a bad dream.

They came to a room with a large bath tub, and Sarah expected to see the devil himself pop up from behind it, ready to torture her.

‘No. You can’t do this to me.’

Brody put her down. ‘Strip!’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Your clothes, take them off.’

‘No.’

‘Either you remove them or I’ll do it for you.’

In the dim light, she could see her assailant was fully a foot taller than herself and probably twice as heavy. Sarah slowly removed her white gown and untied her undergarments. She tried to cover herself with her arms. The water was murky and it smelt, and she wondered how many patients before her had been bathed in the same water.

‘There’s no soap.’

Brody laughed. ‘Get in.’

Sarah hesitated.

‘Hurry up.’

‘It’s freezing,’ she said as she put a leg in the water.

‘Ever heard of an evil spirit who likes cold water?’ Brody made her get right in.

Sarah sat in the bath, body hunched up, teeth chattering, water up to her shoulders.

‘Breathe in, and hold it,’ Brody ordered. She pushed her down and held her head under.

Sarah had never had her whole head submerged like this before. She went to inhale, swallowing water and choking. Frantically she swished her arms about and tried to get to the surface. This awful woman was going to drown her, she was sure. After what seemed like an eternity, she was pulled up by the hair. She coughed, and gasped for air. When she opened her eyes, she saw her aggressor towering over her, grinning with satisfaction.

‘And again.’ Brody pushed her under a second time.

She tried to scream, but the sound was muffled by the water. Brody left her under longer this time before finally pulling her up. Sarah coughed and gargled and groaned, fighting for air.

‘You must learn to hold your breath, woman,’ Miss Brody said as she dunked her again, holding her under even longer.

Sarah put her arm up and went to push Brody’s hand away, but her strength had been sapped and her arm fell limp back into the water. A strange calm came over her. No longer did she feel the need for air. Her life raced past her. She saw her grandmother cooking bread on a skewer, her father questioning Henry when he asked him for her hand in marriage, each of her children as infants, and Baby and Albert just before they left on their respective journeys. Then everything went black.

Next thing she knew, she was lying on a bed, not in the dormitory with the other women, but in a smaller room, cleaner and whiter. And there was no sign of any water. She thought she might be in heaven, or about to go there. Nearby she heard a male voice say her name and thought it might be St Peter asking the spirit of someone who had known her on earth if he should let her in. She looked for the Pearly Gates.

Suddenly somebody came into the room. When she saw who it was, she knew she wasn’t in heaven.

‘Ah, you’ve woken,’ Miss Brody said, seeing her patient trying to sit up.

Sarah wished she was in heaven. She then saw a man in the room.

‘I’m Doctor Neagle,’ he said.

‘Go away, both of you.’ Her headache was worse than ever, but she didn’t want to tell the doctor for fear he would give her some strange medicine or a needle.

‘Don’t be afraid, Ma’am. I was called from the infirmary next door when they couldn’t wake you.’

‘I’m all right, I tell you. I don’t need a doctor.’

Neagle turned to Brody. ‘Take her back, and do be more careful treating the ones who hear voices.’ He left the room.

Sarah tried to get off the bed, but Brody shoved her back down.

‘You’re a troublemaker, you are.’

She curled up and put her arms across her body and hands to her face. ‘Now what’ve I done?’ she said trembling.

‘Not holding your breath properly.’

‘I couldn’t.’

‘Stupid woman. No wonder you’re in here. I’ll show you how.’ She inhaled and held it for several seconds.

Sarah kept her hands and arms ready to defend herself, sure she would be beaten.

Without warning, Brody exhaled. ‘There, simple isn’t it.’

‘You could’ve drowned me.’

‘I’ve never lost one yet, in twenty years. Cured a few too. Mind you, it can take time.’

Her face still white, Sarah lowered her guard but kept her body in a ball. ‘You cure people?’

‘Of their voices.’

‘My voices are real though.’

‘No, they’re not, they’re rubbish.’

‘They aren’t. Albert talks to me.’

‘Albert?’

‘My son.’

‘Where is he? I can’t see him.’

‘He’s in New South Wales, a convict. It was a mistake, of course.’

‘So he’s in some far-off land and he talks to you.’

‘And I talk to him.’

Brody laughed sarcastically. ‘And I talk to people in London and on the moon.’

‘Who?’

‘It’s going to take a while to cure you, isn’t it?’

Brody hoisted Sarah onto her shoulders, took her back to the dormitory and laid her on her bed. Sarah noticed some of the women, including Rosanna, had left the room, perhaps to avoid a bath. She watched, still fearful, as the huge figure of Miss Brody marched over to the other side of the room and plucked another woman from her bed. This time the victim was made to walk, guided by a firm hand at the back of the neck.

end of excerpt

My historical novel, A Weaver’s Web, is available at the following outlets:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H52SEEK

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H52SEEK

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00H52SEEK

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Pearce_A_Weaver_s_Web?id=-hlJAgAAQBAJ

Kobo Books: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ww/books/A-Weavers-Web/jHgKZNwqjkybm8qWDO3mcw?MixID=jHgKZNwqjkybm8qWDO3mcw&PageNumber=1

Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/a-weavers-web/id775610928?mt=11

Birds: Australasian shoveler

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Anas rhynchotis, Australasian shoveler, birds, breeding, colors, dabbling ducks, diet, ducks, features, food, habitat, location, shoveler

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The shoveler consists of four species of ducks known as dabbling ducks, which are recognized by their long, broad, flat beaks. Their legs are closer together than other ducks. They are good walkers and strong fliers. They feed on vegetable matter on the surface of water bodies, or by grazing, and rarely dive, thus the name dabbling duck. The four species of shoveler are the northern shoveler, the red shoveler, the Cape shoveler, and the Australasian shoveler. This article looks at the Australasian shoveler.

The Australasian shoveler, or Anas rhynchotis, is found mainly in south-east and eastern Australia, including Tasmania, Victoria, eastern South Australia, New South Wales and into Queensland, although numbers thin out in the north. It also lives in south-west Western Australia. The bird is found in New Zealand too, where it is sometimes called the New Zealand shoveler. Its habitat includes a variety of wetlands, especially heavily vegetated swamps, as well as open waters and occasionally coastal areas.

These ducks have a large head with a low forehead and heavy shovel-tipped beak. Length is around 20 inches and weight is about 1.4 pounds. In breeding season, the male’s head is grey-blue. It has a white crescent between its yellow eyes and its bill. Its back and rump are black. The wing coverts are a blue-gray with white bars. Its underneath is a chestnut color. At other times of the year, the male is duller. Females have mottled brown back and sides, and chestnut underneath. They have dark brown eyes. The male makes a “toot toot” sound, whereas the female gives a husky quack.

They are dispersive but their movements are not well documented. Like other shoveler species, it uses the groves around the edges of its bill to separate water from its food, which includes crustaceans, insects, and aquatic plants. The Australasian shoveler breeds at nearly any time of the year. They usually nest in thick vegetation on the ground, but sometimes in a tree hollow or on a stump. Clutch size is from nine to eleven eggs and incubation takes 25 days. Conservation status is “secure” at the federal level and in most states, “vulnerable” in Victoria, and “rare” in South Australia.

Birds: Cape shoveler

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Anas Smithii, birds, breeding, Cape shoveler, colors, dabbling ducks, diet, ducks, features, food, habitat, location, shoveler

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The shoveler consists of four species of ducks known as dabbling ducks, which are recognized by their long, broad, flat beaks. Their legs are closer together than other ducks. They are good walkers and strong fliers. They feed on vegetable matter on the surface of water bodies, or by grazing, and rarely dive, thus the name dabbling duck. The four species of shoveler are the northern shoveler, the red shoveler, the Cape shoveler, and the Australasian shoveler. This article looks at the Cape shoveler.

The Cape shoveler, or Anas smithii, is resident mainly in South Africa. It can also be found in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, southern parts of Angola and Zambia, and even into Zaire, Rwanda and Burundi, and Malawi. It lives in wetlands, lakes, ponds, marshes and estuaries.

It is a large grey-brown duck and has a large flat bill. The adult male is dark brown, with greenish-black upper tail feathers and rump. Its upper wings are greyish-blue with white tips. While its primary flight feathers are dark brown, its secondaries are a metallic blue-green. It has a yellow head, eyes and neck. Legs and feet are orange-yellow. The female’s colors are duller than those of the male. Its eyes are dark brown, and legs and feet are a grayish-yellow. The young have similar coloring to the females. It averages 20 to 21 inches in height and weighs 1.3 to 1.5 pounds.

Cape shoveler eats aquatic invertebrates, including molluscs, crustaceans, tadpoles, and insects, by dabbling in shallow water. It will occasionally eat aquatic plants and seeds. The birds are sociable and live as pairs or in small groups. They build their nests in depressions on the ground, liking dense vegetation and being near water. Nests are lined with grass and may be close together. They breed all year round but mainly in summer. The population is large, although some decline has been observed. Their conservation status is “least concern”.

Birds: red shoveler

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Anas platalea, birds, breeding, colors, dabbling ducks, diet, ducks, features, food, habitat, location, red shoveler, shoveler

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The shoveler consists of four species of ducks known as dabbling ducks, which are recognized by their long, broad, flat beaks. Their legs are closer together than other ducks. They are good walkers and strong fliers. They feed on vegetable matter on the surface of water bodies, or by grazing, and rarely dive, thus the name dabbling duck. The four species of shoveler are the northern shoveler, the red shoveler, the Cape shoveler, and the Australasian shoveler. This article looks at the red shoveler.

The red shoveler, or Anas platalea, is found in the southern half of South America. Its habitat extends from Chile, across Argentina, southern Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. It is sometimes called the Argentine red shoveler, as this is where it is most frequently found, or the South American shoveler. They favor shallow lakes, pools with thick reed beds, lagoons, and marshes. During the southern winter, Tierra del Fuego populations migrate as far as Peru and southern central Brazil.

It is regarded as the least awkward of the four shoveler species, and has a smaller bill and long pointy tail. Wing colors are similar to the northern shoveler. Its legs are yellow to orange. Males and females can be distinguished by their different bills size and their colorings. The female has a larger and darker bill than the male. Females are brownish gray, with plain face and dark eyes. The male is red to pink, with spots on its chest and sides. Its head and neck are grayish brown and it has white eyes.

Average size of the red shoveler is 18 to 22 inches and its weight is about 1.2 to 1.3 pounds. Its diet consists of grasses, herbs, weeds, and algae. They will filter plankton and invertebrates from water and sometimes mud. It will dabble and up-end but won’t dive. These ducks breed in pairs or in small groups. The female has five to eight eggs, incubating them for 25 to 26 days. The young can fly after about 40 to 45 days. Sexual maturity takes one to two years. Their average life span is 20 to 30 years. It is not listed as a threatened species.

Birds: northern shoveler

Tags

Anas clypeata, birds, breeding, color, dabbling ducks, diet, ducks, features, food, habitat, migration, northern shoveler, shoveler

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The shoveler consists of four species of ducks known as dabbling ducks, which are recognized by their long, broad, flat beaks. Their legs are closer together than other ducks. They are good walkers and strong fliers. They feed on vegetable matter on the surface of water bodies, or by grazing, and rarely dive, thus the name dabbling duck. The four species of shoveler are the northern shoveler, the red shoveler, the Cape shoveler, and the Australasian shoveler. This article looks at the northern shoveler.

The northern shoveler, or Anas clypeata, can be found in most of North America and the northern parts of Europe and Asia. On occasions, it finds its way to Australia. It is a migratory bird, moving northwards to breed. Slightly less sociable than most dabbling ducks, it lives in small flocks in the non-breeding season. The species is recognizable by its very long bill which is wider at the tip than at the base. The bill always tilts downward, even in flight. It is a medium sized duck, about 17 to 20 inches long and weighing between one and two pounds.

Males and females can be quite easily distinguished at breeding time. The male has an iridescent green head, black bill, white chest and rusty colored sides. When it flies, its blue forewing feathers can be seen along with green inner wing feathers, the two colors separated by a white band. The female in less brilliantly colored, mainly being pale brown with gray forewings. Overall, her coloring is similar to the female mallard. At non-breeding time, the male’s plumage is more similar to the female’s in appearance.

They prefer the open wetlands, including marshes and wet grassland. It dabbles in the water for plant food, swinging and shaking its bill. The northern shoveler’s bill has more than 100 fine projections, or lamellae, along its edges which strain water from food. It will also eat mollusks and insects during the breeding season. These ducks make a nest of plant material on the ground in a shallow depression close to water. They line it with down. The birds are monogamous and mate for longer than other dabbling duck species. If the female is threatened, it will defecate on the eggs, probably as a deterrent to predators. Its conservation status is “least concern”.

The northern shoveler is generally quiet. Males and females can be told apart by their sound. The male makes a clunking call. During courtship, it gives a nasal bray. The female can make various quacking noises and sounds like a mallard. It also produces a rattling noise when it takes off, which is unique among dabbling ducks.

Birds: the Egyptian goose

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Alopochen aegyptiacus, breeding, characteristics, color, Egyptian goose, food, habitat, location, sound, threats

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone; won’t paragraph properly)

 

The Egyptian goose, or Alopochen aegyptiacus, can be found in most of Africa, except in deserts or in dense forests. Locations include inland areas from just to the south of the Sahara Desert to the very southern part of Africa, and in the Nile Valley. A few have been seen in the eastern and southern coastal areas of the Mediterranean. They were sacred to the ancient Egyptians who domesticated them and included them in artwork of this period. They were also kept by the ancient Romans and Greeks.
It lives in most wetland areas, such as rivers, marshes and lakes. They favor wetlands in open areas rather than in densely wooded spots where they have less chance of seeing predators. They are good swimmers and divers. When flying, they look heavy, like a goose rather than a duck. Egyptian geese spend most of their time on land. A bird will perch and roost in trees, and often returns to the same place every night. They live at various altitudes, with individuals in Ethiopia found at heights of up to 13,000 feet.
The birds nest in various places, including on the ground in dense vegetation, in burrows, in holes or cavities in trees or in crowns of trees, along river banks, on cliff ledges, and on buildings. They are happy to use nests abandoned by other birds. These birds make their nests of plant matter and line them with down feathers. Nests are usually close to water.

The Egyptian goose is slightly larger than a duck. It is about 24-28 inches in length and has a wingspan of 54 to 60 inches. We don’t know how long they live in the wild but one lived in captivity for 14 years. Life span in the wild is usually longer than in captivity. They live in small flocks and only pair up in the breeding season. The birds are largely sedentary, but will venture outside their territory in drought periods to seek water. They reach maturity by two years of age.

Males and females have the same plumage. The male is slightly larger. Their color can vary significantly between individuals. Some are grey and brown, whereas others are red and brown. Variations in color are not due to age or sex. They have yellow eyes with a brown patch around each one. The shorter feathers of the wings are white and the longer ones are iridescent green. Their tails are black, and they have a pink bill, legs and feet.

They are best distinguished by their sound. The Egyptian goose is not naturally vocal, but when stressed or being aggressive, the male hisses whereas the female cackles loudly, making a “honk-haah-haah-haah” sound. This happens most often during nesting when they vigorously defend their territory.

The courtship displayed by the male to attract a female is elaborate and noisy. A pair will usually stay together for life. They breed in spring, when the wet season is underway. They have a clutch of about five to ten eggs that are yellowish white in color. After they lay their eggs, the birds almost seem to disappear, and are next seen escorting their young to the water. The eggs hatch after 28 to 30 days. Chicks have duller coloring than the adults and have similar markings to the shelduck. They lack their parents’ brown patches around each eye and on the chest. They can fly after about 70 days. If the nest is in a tree, the parents will coax the young to jump, it basically being the only way down. This will be their first “flying” experience.
Egyptian geese are territorial and noisy, and will engage in fierce battles to defend their plots. Combatants meet breast to breast on water or on land and will try to grab each other’s back near the neck. At the same time, they will madly flap their wings and sometimes even strike their opponent with their feet. They can be intolerant of their own species and other birds and can be one of the most vicious waterfowl.

This species feeds on vegetation matter such as grasses, leaves, plant stems, and seeds. They will also eat small animals such as worms, locusts and others insects. The birds spend more time grazing than on the water and can be seen in pairs or in small groups in the savanna areas, but will also feed in shallow water. They sometime travel a long way from water. In the dry, the often find cultivated areas to graze.

They were introduced into Great Britain in the 18th century as an ornamental waterfowl. Colonies were established in the 19th century in East Anglia on large estates with lakes. The birds have not spread to other areas, despite their ability to disperse. Over 90 per cent of Britain’s estimated 900 Egyptian geese can be found in this area. It was also brought into the Netherlands. In England, mortality among the young is high with only one or two of a clutch surviving crow attacks and competition from the Canada goose and grey-lag goose.

The Egyptian goose is the only member of the Alopochen genus, after three other species became extinct in earlier times. These were the Mauritian shelduck last seen in Mauritius in the late 1690s, the Malagasy shelduck which existed in Madagascar in prehistoric times, and the Reunion shelduck or Kervazo’s Egyptian goose last spotted in Reunion around the 1690s.

They are not regarded as an endangered species, being quite numerous and widely distributed throughout much of Africa. Their numbers increased in South Africa during the 20th century largely due to additional dams and irrigation projects. Farmers sometimes hunt them as large grazing flocks can destroy crops. Logging and the expansion of agriculture and urban areas can also pose a potential threat to these birds.

Birds: coscoroba swan

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appearance, breeding, colors, Coscoroba coscoroba, coscoroba swan, diet, habitat, incubation, location, migration, numbers, swans, waterfowl

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The coscoroba swan, or Coscoroba coscoroba, is one of only seven species of swan in the world and has the distinction of being the smallest in size. Among waterfowl, it is still fairly large though, weighing about nine pounds and measuring three to four feet in length, with a wingspan of around five feet. It is found naturally only in South America, where indigenous people named it after its call, which sounds something like cos-co-ro-oa.

This swan is a striking white (Google coscoroba swan and see many images of this beautiful bird). Its six primary or flight feathers are black and can best be seen when it is swimming or flying. The wings are wider and shorter than other swans. Its beak is red and is flattened. Unlike other swans, this swan’s face is covered in feathers. Its legs and feet are pink to red. It has a shorter neck than other swans but longer than in geese. In fact, the coscoroba swan looks more like a goose than a swan in the head. Males and females look virtually the same, except the male is slightly larger.

The coscoroba swan is native to the southern part of South America. In summer, or the breeding season, it is found in southern Chile south of Concepcion, and across southern Argentina, to about southern Cordoba Province and to Buenos Aires on the coast. They are present right down to Tierra del Fuego with some going to the islands south of Beagle Channel. A few have been reported on the Falkland Islands, as well as South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands to the east. They fly north for winter, as far as Santiago in Chile, across the northern part of Cordoba Province, Uruguay, southern Paraguay, and southern Brazil up to around Curitiba. When flying, they must keep flapping their wings as they can’t soar or glide. They favor low elevations but have been found up to about 3,000 feet or more. In some of the northern areas, small groups of the species don’t migrate.

It likes fresh water lakes and large ponds, although it is often seen in brackish water, and has been reported on beaches in Brazil. The bird prefers water that is not too deep and without current. It favors spots with long grass or bushes for protection, such as marshes and swamps. Coscoroba swan is a sociable bird, both with its own species and with other waterfowl. It can often be found in groups of up to 100 or so, although this can grow to 200 during the molt. It will fly with flamingoes, and small numbers are occasionally seen with black-necked swans.

A pair will stay together for life, which is typical of swan species. They breed during the southern spring and summer. The pairs tend to nest alone or in a colony that is spread out over a large area. They will defend their territory vigorously. Most pairs will have one clutch a year, but some have two if the first one is quite early. Nests are made in tall grass near to water and can be quite large. They are built of grass and other vegetation, and are lined with feathers and down.

Clutch size ranges from four to nine eggs and the incubation period is about 35 days. The female does the incubating, while the male will be nearby, ready to defend their territory. A female leaves the nest twice a day to find food, having first made sure the eggs are covered. The young coscoroba swan is a duller white than the parents, with brown and gray patches mainly on its back. It weighs about four ounces when a day old. The male adult in particular will aggressively guard the fledglings against predators. The young will fly when aged three to four months. After nesting, the swans move to a lake area and molt, usually during fall. They live to about 20 years of age. In captivity, they only live an average of seven years.

The coscoroba swan will eat vegetable matter, such as grasses, water plants and terrestrial plant seeds, but also small fish, oysters, mussels, aquatic insects and small animals. To feed, it bobs its head and neck, and sometimes most of its body, under the water.

The estimated population is 10,000 to 25,000 swans, with some estimates as high as 100,000. Loss of habitat is a threat to the coscoroba swan. However, its numbers are not believed to have declined by more than 30 per cent in 10 years. For this reason, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) gave it a “least concern” status in its 2004 Red List of Threatened Species and it has since remained in this category (to 2012).

Birds: the Canada goose

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Atlantic Canada goose, birds, Branta canadensis, breeding, breeding grounds, Cackling goose, Canada goose, diet, dusky goose, giant goose, habitat, interior goose, migration, Moffitt's goose, numbers, Vancouver goose

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The Canada goose, or Branta canadensis, is native to North America. It has a black or dark brown head and neck, with a white chin. This distinguishes it from other geese except for the Barnacle goose. Its back and wings are brown, while it has a white chest and belly.

Seven subspecies of the Canada goose are the Atlantic Canada goose, the interior, giant, Moffitt’s, Vancouver, dusky, and part of the “lesser complex” Canada goose. A number of other subspecies were split off to form a new species called the Cackling goose in 2004. The Canada goose’s size and plumage vary among its subspecies. The smaller subspecies are similar to the Cackling goose.

Their height varies from 30 to 45 inches, while wingspan usually measures from 50 to 70 inches. An adult male weighs 7 to 14 pounds. The female is about 10 per cent shorter than the male and is slightly lighter at 6 to 12 pounds. A giant Canada goose was found with a wingspan of 88 inches and weighing 24 pounds. Their honk also differs between the male and female. The bird has a life span of between 10 and 24 years in the wild.

Breeding grounds are various habitats in Canada and northern United States. It is most populous in the Great Lakes region. The bird nests in raised areas near water, sometimes choosing a beaver’s lodge. It lays its eggs in shallow depressions which it lines with plant matter and down. Over-hunting and destruction of habitat in the 19th and early 20th centuries led to a substantial fall in numbers. The giant Canada goose was thought to be extinct by the 1950s but a small group was found in 1962 in Rochester, Minnesota. Populations of most subspecies recovered significantly after game laws were tightened and preservation programs were put in place. Numbers of the dusky Canada goose may still be in decline.

The Canada goose naturally migrates thousands of miles. Bird ringing has shown that members of the “lesser complex” subspecies have flown to northern Europe. The Canada goose is also found on eastern Siberia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, as well as in eastern China, and in Japan. They traverse the United States in large flocks in V-shaped formation, marking the change of season to spring or fall. Some groups, such as in the Pacific Northwest with its mild climate and where there are few predators, no longer migrate.

The bird was first introduced into Europe in the late 17th century to bolster the waterfowl collection of Great Britain’s King James II. In 1991, there were over 60,000 Canada geese in the United Kingdom. They can also be found in Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia. They inhabit many parks, sometimes becoming a problem. They were taken to New Zealand in the 19th century as a game bird but have become a nuisance in some areas.

They eat a diet of green plant matter, including various grasses. The bird grabs blades of grass with its bill, and then rips them out of the ground by jerking its head. It also eats grain such as wheat, corn, rice and beans. When in water, it feeds from the silt on the bottom, and will also eat aquatic plants like seaweed.

The Canada goose breeds from its second year of life. It has one mate and they usually stay together throughout their lives. About four to eight eggs are laid. Potential nest raiders include the Arctic fox, red fox, common raven, American crow, large gulls, and bears. Both birds will protect the nest during the 25-28 day incubation period, although the female will spend more time doing this than the male. They lose their flight feathers during this time.

A family often walks in single file between its nest and the water, one parent at the front of the procession and the other at the back. The pair are fiercely protective of their young and can be quite violent in warding off anything they feel might be a predator, including any birds, other geese, and humans. They give a first warning of a hissing sound and if that doesn’t work they can attack. The Canada goose can be very vocal at other times too. Sometimes families link up and form a creche or colony. The goslings acquire their flight feathers at around six to nine weeks of age. They migrate with their parents in fall and will stay with them until after the flock has returned to their summer habitat. Adults are not often preyed upon, but they can be vulnerable to the bald eagle and, to a lesser extent, foxes, wolves, coyotes, owls and the golden eagle.

The population of these non-migratory birds has risen strongly and they are now often found in parks, gold courses and parking lots. The Canada goose’s adaptability has resulted in it becoming the most common waterfowl in the United States. In Wichita, for example, numbers are estimated to have grown from 1,600 to 71,600 birds between 1983 and 2011. Unfortunately, they have become pests in some locations, and are thought to be responsible for high fecal coliforms in some beach areas. The hunting season has been extended and noise markers used in some places. Efforts to modify habitats, relocation, and culling occurred after a US Air Force plane went down in 1995 after it hit a flock of Canada geese, killing all 24 crew.

Birds: Barrow’s goldeneye

Tags

America, Barrow's goldeneye, birds, breeding, Bucephala islandica, Canada, colors, diving duck, food, Iceland, migration, nests, numbers, threats, waterfowl

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

Barrow’s goldeneye, or Bucephala islandica, is found mainly in lake and wooded pond areas in north-eastern America but also in Canada and Iceland. Its name comes from the Icelandic word for “bullhead”. An adult is about 13 inches long with a wingspan of 31 inches. It is a waterfowl of the diving duck variety.

Adults have a large, oval shaped head with steep forehead and a fairly short bill. The male’s head is metallic black and purple which becomes an iridescent green in the right light and angle. It has a defining yellow or golden eye and a white patch on its cheek. The bird has a black bill and back, while its wings are also black but with white patches or stripes. Its chest and underbelly are white. In contrast, the female’s head is dark brown and its body is gray. Her dark gray bill has a pinkish yellow tinge. The feathers of Barrow’s goldeneye change color with the seasons. The colors described above are those observed in the warmer months. Both males and females have a much duller coloring in the cooler months. Immature birds have similar coloring to the adult females except for a darker bill.

Barrow’s goldeneye has a single mate and breeds from about two years of age. Pairing starts in the late winter. They build nests in tree cavities, although sometimes they will make a burrow in the ground, in a hollow stump, or in a rock crevice. Nests are made of small twigs and moss, with a lining of down. The birds are happy to use old nests. The female will lay about six eggs which are pale blue in color. Incubation time is around one month, before the young are hatched. A pair will usually have only one brood a year. Occasionally, they may have a second brood, especially if the first chicks die for whatever reason very soon after hatching.

The bird’s habit of using a tree hole as a nest means it is often described as an arboreal duck, “arboreal” meaning “relating to trees”. The main reason it nests in trees is to protect its young from predators. Sometimes the nest will be one or two miles from water. Within hours of hatching, the female somehow gets the ducklings to jump from the tree. Sometimes a nest will be 30 or more feet above the ground, so injury and death is a great risk. She will then lead her chicks to the nearest lake or creek.

Its main source of food is aquatic invertebrates such as mollusks. It will also eat fish eggs, fish, shellfish, insects, frogs, seeds and certain plants. Barrow’s goldeneye is an accomplished diver, frequently diving to the bottom of shallow water to obtain its food. When it flies, its wings make a kind of whistling sound.

Until 1998, little was know of the breeding habits of the Barrow’s goldeneye or where they went to breed. Indeed, no one had found any evidence of nesting anywhere in eastern North America. A study in Quebec in 1998 used satellite transmitter implants to track the movements of seven males. Flocks migrated inland to an area of small lakes in the highlands on the north side of St Lawrence River. Mating occurred in the area, the first recorded breeding of Barrow’s goldeneye in North America. About 2,000 to 4,000 birds spend winter in Quebec along the Gulf of St Lawrence and the St Lawrence River and its estuary. The largest flocks can be found in places such as La Malbaie-Pointe-au-Pic, Baie-Comeau, Baie-des-Rochers, Peninsule de Gaspe and the Ile d’Anticosti.

Numbers of Barrow’s goldeneye may be declining. Surveys conducted in the St. Lawrence estuary indicated a fall of about 35 per cent between the early 1980s and late 1990s. The population appears vulnerable to logging during the breeding season due to their dependence on trees for nesting. Luckily, loggers prefer trees without cavities, although the bird uses large trees and these are rare in this cold climate. A program of artificial nesting boxes has helped relieve the situation. These birdhouses have a floor of eight inches square, a ceiling 15 inches high, and an entrance of three inches. They are placed 10 or more feet above the ground.

Other threats to the Barrow’s goldeneye include potential oil spills and hunting. An oil spill in the St Lawrence estuary could result in the death of a significant number of these waterfowl. Also, much of their winter habitat could be polluted, forcing them to find other locations, which may result in a further decline in numbers. The bird is vulnerable to the fall hunting season. Shooting of both the Common goldeneye and the rarer Barrow’s goldeneye is now forbidden from mid October in areas frequented by the latter as it can be hard to tell the difference between the two birds. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada gave goldeneye a “Special concern status” in 2011.