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Tuesday, 22 November 2011

Unidentified Geese on R.Taw.

At 15:20 today, while observing Dark-bellied Brents on Penhill Marsh from Pottington, 2 small white geese appeared from out of the ditches that criss-cross the marsh.
Initially I thought these to be Snow Geese of the "Blue Morph" variety.
They appeared to be with the Canada Geese that were roosting on the marsh at high tide.
Both birds were approx 2/3s the size of Canadas with white, small heads and white,short, thick necks. Bearing in mind the distance, the small beaks and legs appeared very dark grey. The backs were grey/brown with darker primaries and undersides were pale/white with slight barring.
They both appeared similar to the 2 "blue" or intermediate morphs that were seen at Bishops Tawton in 2009.
From studying pics on Birdguides "Iris" site, these 2 appear to me to be Intermediate Morph, Snow Geese.
Keep your eyes open and study the Canada Geese flocks on the river.