Verb: To Wiffle

It is what pink footed geese do as they land. The skeins fly in, to land the birds use their wings to brake, and then they wiffle, This involves corkscrewing downwards vertically, with individuals sometimes somersaulting over themselves. All with a cacophony of sound produced by thousands of geese.

We saw all of that this afternoon. The pink foots are back in West Lancashire, and at Martin Mere. Seeing and hearing them always uplifts the spirit. Fresh from their journey south from Greenland and Iceland they will be here, their milder winter home, for the next 5 months or so.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust has instituted Covid safe measures at Martin Mere. We didn’t go into any hides, and spent most of our time around the reed beds. Highlights were a kingfisher, and a hobby. And .....

Oh, look at that bunny rabbit said J. I don’t think that’s a rabbit said I. Walking down the path between the reeds in the direction it had taken, we saw the hare laying low, it’s ears flat against its back (extra). If we had not known it was there we would have walked past it, it was well camouflaged. We let it be.