The three birds can be viewed distantly from the fishersman's car park end or the footpath accessed from the main road, which is the end where I got these photos. The top photo was the left hand bird, the next shots the middle-bird but unfortunately I only photographed the right hand bird asleep. Looking at the fat head shape, stout not slender bill and reduced orange patterning they appear to be Tundra not Taiga Bean Geese. There are some good photos on birdguides of a pair at North Warren in Suffolk recently.
Look like tundra to me. Also there does not appear to be any White at the bill base . Hope to get over on Friday if they stick . A great north Wales record.
ReplyDeleteI saw them distantly on Monday and wasn't certain about their racial identity, so glad you got some good photos - I agree, they look like tundra.
ReplyDeleteThe adult bird shows a clear white patch above the bill, the two juv don't show this, as expected, the necks look long for Tundra and the adult bill looks long and spot on for colour. Still think they could be Taiga but closer views would be good. Well done Ste for getting any pics at that range! Taiga bill colour is very variable!
ReplyDeleteAlan and Ruth
www.thebiggesttwitch.com
The structure on these birds is more like Pink footed goose which is what you see in Tundra.Taiga are larger with longer bills and long sigmoid necks with that "hint of Swan goose" look to them.There are also Tundras in Lancs and Cumbria at present.
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