With birding time currently at a premium, it was with great alacrity that I headed down to Connah’s Quay NR mid-morning.The sun - although slung low - was bright and with the wind abating and fine visibility, conditions were nearly as good as it gets in the winter.
I started off at the bunded pools that although quiet held a Greenshank and a brace of Dabchicks. The nature trail was similarly sparsely populated with birds, so I passed time notching a few of the commoner species for my fledgling Flintshire year list – a soaring Sparrowhawk being the pick.
The West Hide was much more promising - when I had finally opened the shutters - and a scan through the logbook revealed a number of separate sightings of Barnacle Geese over recent days.
A quick glance through the bins over Oakenholt Marsh revealed hundreds and hundreds of Canada Geese all actively grazing – eyes down, time for a scan.
Fortunately the Barnies did not prove too difficult to locate and after a few false alarms from the standard handful of anomalous Canadas, I soon located a small group of thirteen birds towards the railway line – I even managed a terrible picture!
It is almost impossible to establish the provenance of these birds, but it goes without saying: hanging around with a couple of thousand feral Canucks doesn’t do anything for your street cred – I’d much rather see them with the Pinkies over at Shotwick!
That said, Barnacle Goose is new Flintshire bird for me, and beggars can’t be choosers…
Until later.
P.S – Muchas Gracies to the person who left the comment above – it wasn’t me -honest gov!!
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