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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ColinD" data-source="post: 1307865" data-attributes="member: 55409">11th October 2008 - Ross's Goose with 8000 Pink-feetWhat a stunning day. I'm worn out with excitement! There were simply staggering scenes from the Old Coach Road at it's junction with Dairy Farm Road. The skies were filled with Pink-feet. Initially I estimated 3- 4000 birds, but geese were arriving all of the time and towards evening one flock came in from Rainford which must have totalled 3000 birds alone. Estimates on numbers varied from 6000 to 10,000 birds, so I'm going with the average, 8000. Unfortunately, most were only visable today when in flight, and with them was an adult Ross's Goose, the same bird which was at Martin Mere last weekend. I alerted a few mates, and we saw it a couple of times in flight, and then right at the end of the day, at 6pm, in the fading light we saw the bird reasonably close on the ground, until a jogger spooked them, and around 5000 birds took to the air with a deafening sound. In the absence of a Canadian ring, this is about as good as it gets with Ross's Goose. It's a wild bird in my book.A local farmer confirmed that these birds do roost here overnight.Other highlights today included a male Brambling on a wire in Dairy Farm Road with several Goldfinches and Linnets, still 34 Curlew from the Old Coach Road, and a flock of at least 500 Lapwings in the same field. Five Swallows still in the area.Phew! Not a bad way to reach 1000 miles on the bike this year :t:If anybody goes to see this bird, PLEASE park sensibly at the start of Dairy Farm Road, and don't enter any farmers fields. Total birding miles by bike so far in 2008: 1010 (61 bike rides)Number of miles since last puncture: 995 </blockquote>

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