Goosey Goosy Gander !!

After brining Meesha (Our horse) in at 11AM this morning, I saw a commotion in a lower field at the livery yard with Ted and two others having been spooked and galloping in the filed. At the same time a very small flock of Geese flew up and across to an adjacent filed.

So grabbed the camera and went to investigate.

Not a few geese but two huge flocks numbering well over 150 plus I would say. All resting, then they spooked again and up and round to another filed further north.

I managed a few pictures of them all siting in that filed, but this one of the second take off seemed more dramatic (Better viewed in large format via the Microscope on Blipfhoto tool, for those viewing on Facebook).

When home I was surprise that the pictures match the pink-footed goose. Which is normal native in large estuaries, such as Norfolk and the Wash, the Ribble and the Solway, and surrounding farmland where birds go in the day to feed. They are also found on the northeast Scottish coast, but the map shows that to be more north of Aberdeen up around Peterhead and Fraserburgh.

They are a medium sized goose, smaller than a mute swan but bigger than a mallard. It is pinkish grey with a dark head and neck, a pink bill and pink feet and legs. This species does not breed in the UK, but large numbers of birds spend the winter here, arriving from their breeding grounds in Spitsbergen, Iceland and Greenland.

Numbers in England are on the increase, particularly in Norfolk, probably due to better protection at winter roosts.