Garden Geese!

At Cockles Bridge on my way to the beach this morning the 4 Bewick Swans were still with the Mute Swans.

08.30-09.30 from the sea watch hide:

Eider: 7W

Red-throated Diver: 18E    2on

Great-crested Grebe: 8 around

Gannet: 157E   31W

Cormorant: 89W

Merlin: 1 in

Kestrel: 1 in

Kittiwake: 21 around

Razorbill: 1E

Guillemot: 1E

Auk sp: 10E

Grey Seal: 1

After doing some domestic stuff I went back to Cockles Bridge where among the many Greylag Geese I picked out 2 Pink-footed Geese, a Tundra Bean Goose, 5 Greater White-fronted Geese and 2 Barnacle Geese. While watching the geese with some locals the 4 Bewick Swans flew back in.

3 of the 4 Bewick swans at Cockles Bridge today

MH called me to say he could see the Bewick Swans from my house, so I drove the short distance to home and joined him and AJG in scanning the Goose flock from my garden. While scanning the farmer appeared and drove out the Geese and Swan flock deliberately flushing them by sounding his horn and flashing, lights then getting out and clapping and waving his hands, we managed to find all the Geese except the Tundra Bean Goose before they were all flushed by the farmer, so adding Pink-footed Goose to the garden list.

Late afternoon on the reserve was very disappointing as very few Gulls came into roost and nothing notable.