It's A Mystery!

In birding it can often be that you arrive at a location to have a panoramic view of nothing. This was the impression I got when I arrived at Glasson Dock on Saturday - well it is June - to have a wide angle view of the Lune Estuary to see 'nothing'. 

But wait a minute....I've got six geese in a group in my sights, three of which were Canada Geese, the other three Greylag, but these three were not birds I'm acquainted with, they were instantly recognised as being a much paler bird with a pink bill and I began to think of all three being rubrirostris types, had I have been in Belgium I would have have held on to this claim as true wild rubrirostris do occur there.

But the feral population of Greylag Geese in Belgium has some rubrirostris ancestry. As far back as nearly 60 years ago in 1956, a few birds of the form rubrirostris were released in Belgium, and in later years, birds of the nominate race of Greylag were also released in the area and individuals showing rubrirostris features have since become very rare, it would be truly remarkable that a rubrirostris-type Greylag from the now feral population in Belgium should turn up here in England.

So what did I see, and where did they come from? 

Another one bites the dust.

Another male Hen Harrier has gone missing in Cumbria. The bird, which was nesting at the RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, was last seen at the upland site last Saturday 23 May. Setting off hunting at around 7.15am the bird was last seen by RSPB nest protection staff at around 1pm.

The 'Help I Am Being Persecuted' poster above probably doesn't have a direct link in everyone's eyes with this missing bird, but it does with me. The thing is....I'm a realist.