Hi everyone
Been up at Gruinard Bay in North West Scotland, when about 30 Brent Geese landed, they were pretty jumpy as I tried to get close to take a photograph as they all took flight again, but came back to the same spot about 30 minutes later. This is the first time I have ever seen these Geese, are they a rare sighting?
EJ's Memorial Balgavies Loch Ospreys 2023
Hi Mary, Brent Geese are generally winter visitors and, according to my books, usually in Ireland or south east England, so your sighting would seem a bit unusual!
Gill
Hi Mary, according to the RSPB some 95000 Brent Geese spend the winter in the UK. It seems that most of the white-bellied race head for Ireland although apparently some do go to Lindisfarne in Northumberland. The dark-bellied race go mainly to the estuaries around the east and south-east coasts of England.
As far as I know they don't winter in Scotland so I suspect the birds you saw were on passage to Ireland and had just dropped in for a feed en-route.
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Tony
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Gill P said: Hi Mary, Brent Geese are generally winter visitors and, according to my books, usually in Ireland or south east England, so your sighting would seem a bit unusual! Crossed post with Robbo. Gill
Crossed post with Robbo.
Thank You too Gill for your reply.
Unknown said: Hi Mary, according to the RSPB some 95000 Brent Geese spend the winter in the UK. It seems that most of the white-bellied race head for Ireland although apparently some do go to Lindisfarne in Northumberland. The dark-bellied race go mainly to the estuaries around the east and south-east coasts of England. As far as I know they don't winter in Scotland so I suspect the birds you saw were on passage to Ireland and had just dropped in for a feed en-route.
TeeJay - it seems I was lucky enough to see these geese on their way to Ireland.
Also seen a flock of around 40 of these birds (can watch them from the window of the caravan) before anyone accuses me of stalking them :-). Now I know what these birds are but when I looked at my photograph (I know not really sharp or clear photograph) I could hardly recognise them.
Here is a quiz for you to see who identifies them first.
MaryGK said:Here is a quiz for you to see who identifies them first.
That just depends who's online at the time!
36 Common Redshank, 10 Dunlin, and a single Black-tailed Godwit.
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Just in case anyone's not sure which is which, the Dunlins are the little ones and the Black-tailed Godwit's the bigger one with white wing bars rather than white trailing edges and a square white rump rather than a white wedge up the back. I've indicated the Black-tailed Godwit with a red arrow, and one of the Dunlins with a green one.
My blog: http://mazzaswildside.blogspot.co.uk/
My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124028194@N04/
Wow - geese on bicycles must definitely be a rare sight!