Reply To: Tundra Bean Goose Aldcliffe Marsh

[Pete Crooks]

#9731

The adult Tundra Bean Goose was still in the ‘Darter Pond’ Field – west of the cycle track between Freeman’s Wood and Aldcliffe Wildfowlers’ Pools – this morning, showing down to c.30 metres in excellent light. For some reason the Pink-footed Goose flock (c.3500 today spread between Darter Pond and Marsh Point) are proving very accepting of passing walkers and cyclists and fortunately the TBG was among the closest group of geese to the cycle-track. In addition to the ‘textbook’ identification features (e.g bright orange legs and feet, orange sub-terminal band on bill, narrower white tips to tail feathers than PfG, plainer brown head and browner upperparts with a lack of the grey ‘frosting’ shown by PfG), the close views allowed another striking feature that I’d never previously noticed – the longer nasal ‘slot’ on the (longer) bill compared to PfG.

Also: 1 Weasal ran across the edge of the field.

Pete C