Standing at its full height, this Great Northern Diver is an impressive waterbird that travelled across the Atlantic to winter in Poole Harbour. Archaeological evidence suggests that Divers have been visiting Poole for hundreds of years, but the specimen hides a dangerous secret…
Known as the Common Loon in North America, the Great Northern Diver got its European name from its powerful dives in search of fish and crustaceans. They usually dive to approximately 10 metres, can stay underwater for up to a minute, and are excellent swimmers because of their huge feet. The bone of a Great Northern Diver was found during the Foundry boatyard excavations meaning they have been visiting Poole harbour since at least the 1200s, and probably found themselves in the sights of hungry Poole residents looking for wildfowl!
Poole Museum’s Great Northern Diver, though, was not hunted for food but as a specimen. It was probably shot during the Victorian period when taxidermy was popular among both amateur and professional naturalists who collected scientific specimens, hunters who wanted trophies, and fashionable types who wanted eccentric ‘en tableau’ scenes of animals performing human activities like going to school or having tea parties! The Diver was donated to the museum in the 1950s and was likely taken from a much larger display of cased birds.
The Great Northern Diver (or Common Loon in the US) is Hollywood’s go-to bird! The video below from Vox explains why moviemakers cannot get enough of its distinctive cry.
Being a taxidermist was and is a highly skilled job and preserving and posing a big, heavy bird like the Diver would have been a real challenge, but skills and technologies were becoming more and more advanced as the popularity of taxidermy exploded. At the Great Exhibition in 1851, more than a dozen taxidermists showed their works, and 75,000 people paid to see an exhibition of stuffed hummingbirds at Kensington Zoo in the same year.
Wired armatures and new mounts helped make the poses of animals look far more natural and chemical soaps used to wash the skins kept them safe from pests that could do enormous damage.
Unfortunately, these soaps often contained materials such as arsenic, mercury, and lead, which, although very effective at preventing pests from eating the specimens, are also very hazardous to humans! After taking readings from his beak and neck feathers, Poole Museum discovered that the Diver had very high levels of arsenic dangerously close to the surface meaning that he is currently in quarantine. It is possible to dismount and wash the skin and feathers but it is quite expensive and more arsenic will simply leech out over time, so it’s unlikely that he will be on display soon. For now, the Great Northern Diver will have to be satisfied with an online showcase like this one.
Whether or not Poole Museum can display him in person, the Great Northern Diver remains a spectacular specimen that proudly represents Poole Museum’s Natural History collection and the wonderful birds that make Poole Harbour such a remarkable ecosystem.
Our friends at Birds of Poole Harbour know everything there is to know about our any and all avian visitors, so if you want to try spotting a Great Northern Diver yourself take a look at their spotting notes…
Found inside and outside of the harbour. Outside they can be seen in Poole Bay from Branksome round to Old Harry, whilst inside the harbour they prefer the deep channels around Brownsea, Brands Bay and the harbour mouth. Can be encountered off the beaches at Shipstal, Hamworthy, Baiter and Shore Road on cold, still winter mornings and have even turned up on Poole Park boating lake in recent years.
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.
The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!