The Black
Brant
Submitted
by Bob Harris, Wildlife Biologist
It's that time of year: again when that interesting but somewhat
unknown sea goose, the black brant, Branta bernicla, seeks
food and shelter in the bays and inlets on the east coast of
Vancouver Island on its northward migration to the arctic
tundra.
Brant are among the smallest of geese, generally weighing 3 - 4
pounds but may weigh up to 6 pounds (1.3 - 2.7 kg). They are dark in
colour with black head, neck, breast and wings. In fact their
appearance and flight characteristics are not unlike
cormorants with which they have, at times, been confused.
At Comox, Qualicum, and particularly Rathtrevor Beach, flocks of
the small, dark geese move in and out from the tide line seeking
their staple diet of eel grass, Zostera marina, supplemented
at times by sea lettace, Ulva lactuca. The attraction of
local feeding and resting areas led to the creation of the
Parksville Brant Festival, occurring this year from April 2 to April
4 when many visitors will come to view the spectacle.
When migrating, brant seldom fly over land but fly low over the
water in disorganized flocks, the lines undulating and mixing as
they move. Coastal residents are often unaware that upwards of
150,000 birds move northward off shore every spring from their
wintering areas.
Brant nest in Alaska and across northern Canada, never far from
salt water. There are two races, the dark west coast one and the
lighter Atlantic variety. They intermingle somewhat on the breeding
grounds and some light birds at times show up on our coast. By
mid-September the young are ready for their long flight to wintering
areas in Alaska, Queen Charlotte Islands, Washington, California,
the lagoons of Baja and mainland Mexico. At Izemibek Lagoon, Alaska
large numbers of brant seem to wait for favourable weather
conditions and then depart on a direct flight to the wintering
grounds of Mexico. Such flight takes place well off shore of the
west coast of Vancouver. Island and is occasionally reported at sea.
By the first of March a few leaders show up in northward
migration passing through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They seem
to split off, some moving into Boundary Bay, south of Vancouver,
others lingering near Victoria and in various bays and estuaries of
the east coast of Vancouver Island. We are fortunate here in having
some of the best viewing of this species anywhere. A good
number of birds will be present during March and April. By May most
will have departed.
Brant could hardly be classified as diverse in their feeding
habits. They depend almost entirely on eelgrass. In 1931 on the
Atlantic Coast, eelgrass beds began to disappear due to a then
undetermined disease. Numbers of brant seriously declined for many
years until the plant regained its vigour. Fortunately, the
west coast has not had any similar catastrophes.
Like all arctic nesters, weather is most critical to successful
nesting. Breeding pairs usually arrive on the nesting grounds
before the snow and ice have gone. Nesting commences when the
first bare patches of land appear. By the time nests are, formed,
eggs laid and incubated and young reared to fly, it
is-mid-September. If there are no serious delays due to early
storms, the families are able to depart.
While rearing the young, the adults have gone through a major
moult, which renders them flightless for that time. This, together
with predation on eggs and young by arctic foxes, gulls, jaegers and
terns leads to a somewhat precarious existence. Harvesting of birds
and eggs by natives also reduces numbers but is not believed to be
serious. Hunting of brant in Canada is now severely limited.
The brant population on our coast appears to be quite healthy and
may it long continue to be so.
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