Predators

GOOSANDER

Mergus merganser

If Mergansers look scruffy then Goosanders look immaculate, especially the males, their big bodies entirely cream-coloured apart from a neat black line across the back and the contrasting black-looking head. Females might be mistaken for red-head Mergansers but see how the rich chestnut colour on the head ends abruptly at the neck and contrasts neatly with the pale chest. Also, the white wing panel lacks a dark line through it and the bill distinctively droops down at the tip instead of being swept up. The crest can look shaggy but a neatly hanging mane is more typical. In flight Goosanders have similar wing markings to Mergansers but the male Goosander has much more white on his body and the female lacks the dark line through the pale wing panel.

Habitat
Breeds on the shores of wooded lochs and rivers. Winters on reservoirs, lakes and occasionally estuaries.

Migration
Migratory to partially migratory. Icelandic and Alpine birds don't appear to migrate at all while British birds move to more sheltered locations during the winter. Birds from northern Scandinavia, however, move south for the winter. Most of the males in the European population migrate in July and August to North Norway to moult

Cormorants- Phalacrocorax carbo

Anglers, fishery owners and fish farmers have been concerned about the increasing number of fish-eating birds in this country. It is a commonly held belief that the Government doesn't care and that anglers representatives have given up trying to do anything about the problem. This is certainly not the case; the Moran Committee - comprising the 13 principle fisheries and angling organisations, has bird predation high on their agenda. Working with the RSPB, English Nature, DEFRA and the Environment Agency, the Committee hopes to acheive agreement on the best approach to the problem that will be almost impossible for the Government to ignore. The problem can only be tackled through a strategy developed and implemented by the Government which takes into account the need to conserve both fish and birds.The Moran Committee has produced a number of fact sheets on cormorants as part of its campaign to secure support and co-orporation. Further information can be obtained on their website, www.cormorants.info

 

 The Great Cormorant- Phalacrocorax carbo

The Great Cormorant is a large black bird, 77-94 cm in length with a 121-149 cm wingspan. It has a longish tail and yellow throat-patch. Adults have white thigh patches in the breeding season. In European waters it can be distinguished from the Common Shag  by its larger size, heavier build, thicker bill, lack of a crest and plumage without any green tinge.

 

RDevDSFB POLICY ON PISCIVOROUS BIRDS

The Deveron District Salmon Fishery Board apply for an annual control licence from the Scottish Government after undertaking piscivorous bird counts during late autumn/winter.

American Mink

 

American Mink - Mustela vison

The mink is a medium-sized member of the weasel family. The first American mink were brought to British fur farms in 1929 and all wild mink in Britain today are descendants of escapees. The natural wild colouring is a glossy dark brown, appearing almost black in some light. Commercial farming selectively bred much paler colours, hence most of those in the wild in Britain are a lighter brown.
Mink spend up to 80% of their time in their dens, sleeping, grooming and eating food they have carried home. Frequently found near water, they are often mistaken for otters, although mink are in fact considerably smaller.
Mink are a major factor in the decimation of the water vole population, because they are small enough to follow their prey down its burrow.

Male: length of head/body 42 cm plus tail 18 cm.
Female: length of head/body 36 cm plus tail 15 cm
Description: Elongated body, relatively short legs, limited webbing between the toes, glossy dark brown coat, commonly white fur patches on chin, throat, chest and groin.

Habitat: May be seen on every kind of waterway, streams, rivers, and canals, but are capable of living away from water provided prey, such as rabbits, small mammals and birds, is available.
Young: Delayed implantation delays the 30 day gestation period to 39 - 42 days. Kits are born in a den lined with vegetation in April - May. One litter, 4 - 6 young. At 10 weeks they cease to depend on their mother for food. They learn to hunt with their mother. In August they disperse in search of their own territories. Females settle within 5 km of their place of birth, males 10 km
Nest May have 2 - 10 dens close to their favourite hunting grounds, usually made in the eroded roots of oaks, sycamores or willows.

Diet: Rabbits, ducks, water voles, shrews, fish, frogs, crayfish, eels, moorhens, rats, birds and eggs are all taken by the mink.

Otters (Lutra lutra)

The otter's diet mainly consists of fish but can also include birds, insects, frogs, crustaceans and sometimes small mammals. In general this opportunism means they may inhabit any unpolluted body of freshwater, including lakes, streams, rivers, and ponds, as long as there is good supply of food. Otters may also live along the coast, in salt water, but require regular access to freshwater to clean their fur. When living in the sea individuals of this species are sometimes referred to as "sea otters", but they should not be confused with the true sea otter, a North American species much more strongly adapted to a marine existence.

environment agency

Otters are strongly territorial, living alone for the most part. An individual's territory may vary between about one and forty kilometres long (about half to 25 miles), with about 18 km (about 11 miles) being usual. The length of the territory depends on the density of food available and the width of the water suitable for hunting (it is shorter on coasts, where the available width is much wider, and longer on narrower rivers). The territories are only held against members of the same sex, and so those of males and females may overlap[1]. Males and females will breed at any time of the year, and mating takes place in water. After a gestation period of about 63 days, one to four cubs are born, which remain dependent on the mother for a year. The male plays no direct role in parental care, although the territory of a female with her cubs is usually entirely within that of the male[1].

Hunting mainly takes place at night, while the day is usually spent in the otter's holt (den) – usually a burrow or hollow tree on the riverbank which can sometimes only be entered from under water.

SEALS

COMMON/HARBOUR SEALS

 

Phoca vitulina

As their name suggests, these are the most widespread of pinnipeds. Also known as the harbour seal, the common seal is the smaller of the two breeding seals in Great Britain. When hauled out it often adopts a characteristic 'head-up, tail-up' posture. The colour is variable, ranging from black-grey to sandy brown with many small spots. The top of the small head is round and the nostrils form a V. Males are often darker in colour than females and have a heavier appearance. The white natal coat of the young is shed inside the uterus; pups are therefore born with their first adult coatmon seal, harbour sealPhoca vitulina 

Male common seals have a shorter life span than females, living up to 20-25 years as opposed to females living up to 30-35 years. This is probably due to the stresses incurred by males during the breeding season. 

Statistics
Males (bulls): 1.4-1.9m, 55-170 kg, Females (cows): 1.2-1.7m, 45-105 kg.

Physical Description
Common seals vary in colour from black, brown, grey or tan, with darker patches. The pattern is unique to the individual. They have a relatively large head with a short body and flippers.

Distribution
Common seals are the most widely distributed pinniped, and there are thought to be about 400,000-500,000 individuals. They inhabit the waters of the north Atlantic and north Pacific Oceans

It is a medium sized seal, with the bulls reaching 2.5–3.3 m long and weighing up to 300 kg; the cows are much smaller, typically 1.6–2.0 m long and 100–150 kg weight

GREY SEAL

(Halichoerus grypus) meaning hooked nosed sea pig is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". Its name is alternatively spelled Gray Seal and it is also known as Atlantic Grey Seal. It is a medium sized seal, with the bulls reaching 2.5–3.3 m long and weighing up to 300 kg; the cows are much smaller, typically 1.6–2.0 m long and 100–150 kg weight.

RDevDSFB POLICY ON SEALS

Member of the recently formed MORAY FIRTH SEAL MANAGEMENT PLAN