Geese - Kent, UK - dark-coloured with white armpits (1 Viewer)

[louise S]

Hello,

I saw a group of these geese just off the north coast of Kent yesterday. They were completely dark-coloured but with a bright white patch on the back of each wing. I can't find any goose species that even slightly fits this description; I've seen a lot of Brent geese around here recently, but these usually have dark wings and white tails. Unfortunately we were only able to get this one picture as they were flying away - hopefully it's enough to work from.

Does anyone have any idea what these could be?

Thanks

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

What about Velvet Scoter?

 

[Nutcracker]

They're female Goosanders (Swedish: Storskrake), not geese

PS welcome to Birdforum!

 

[louise S]

Oh, amazing - thanks for your responses! I got caught up in their goose-ishness so didn't look closely enough at other seabird options.

Nutcracker, what makes you say female goosander rather than velvet scoter? From the photos I've found online, goosanders are lighter underneath. These ones looked dark all over, which is closer to the scoter. Having said that, it was difficult to pick out colours at the distance and in the light available.

Thanks for the welcome!

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Louise, welcome to birdforum!
Please note, that Velvet Scoter have a didfferent shape: your birds have long slender wings and the right head-nack-shape for Goosander/Red-breasted Merganser. More, your birds seems to sho the right contrast between grey body (too dark, because of underexposure?) and darker wings, good for Goosander.

But can a RB-Merganser be excluded. Jizz and gut feeling, says, I agree with Nutcracker. But I cant find something, that I can write here. Reason? Dont know. Maybe the shape of the white wingpatch? Or the colours?

Conclusion? Goosander for me, too. But I hope for others to jump in, so a RBM can be excluded with confidence.

Have a look at this:

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Only using a mobile, but looking again, I’ll agree with Goosander (or Merganser) rather than Scoter; shape is better, and they look grey rather than black.

 

[louise S]

Ah, from that video I can definitely see it, thanks Alexander. I'm new to this, so lots to learn still!

I've just gone through the photos again to see if there are any where the colourings/markings are at least a little bit more visible and I've attached two more here. It's pretty much the same thing, but you can see the difference in colour where the head meets the underside more clearly.

Thanks again for so much input on this!

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Welcome to BirdForum Louise. The latest photos show that your birds are Goosanders.

 

[louise S]

Brilliant, thanks! Mystery solved

Can I ask what it is that convinced you, so that I'll know what to look for next time?

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Brilliant, thanks! Mystery solved

Can I ask what it is that convinced you, so that I'll know what to look for next time?

Actually you mentioned an important feature in your earlier post when you pointed out the point where the head and underparts meet. This looks very clear-cut, which is right for Goosander but not for Red-breasted Merganser. In the latter, the head colouration and underparts tend to merge more gradually.

 

[louise S]

Ah I see it now. Thanks for your help!