Snow Geese in the UK (1 Viewer)

[Steve Lister]

I think it is generally accepted that wild Snow Geese occur in the UK but records committees seem reluctant to bother with them due to the few large feral populations, the main one seeming to be in Oxfordshire, confusing issues.

But how many wild birds occur each year, and do the numbers justify the species being considered a scarce migrant (and included in the analysis published in British Birds) or even a proper rarity and covered by BBRC?

When I raised this question with the BBRC admin the reply was along the lines of we have not got the time. Well, I gave it a couple of hours yesterday afternoon and a preliminary look through the Birdguides records for this year suggest that a maximum of nine or ten potentially wild birds were in the country, mainly in Scotland, between January and April this year, and a similar number so far this autumn. Far outnumbered by feral birds of course.

This is really an appeal for more records or information on any 2024 Snow Geese not featured on the Birdguides system. Please either post on here or send me a private message. Once I have put everything together I will write a summary and let the relevant people at BB have it.

Interesting points so far.......
All but one of the possible wild birds this year have been white phase. The only 'blue' report was in Flintshire one day in January.
Almost all records are of singles, the exceptions being two in Lothian in September, and maybe the same birds now on the Humber, and two maybe feral birds in Dumfries and Galloway at the moment.
The last spring record was April 4th, and the first of autumn the two in Lothian arriving 'in off' on September 19th.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

The Flintshire bird hung around a while, and visited at least three sites. It was first seen arriving and departing with Pink-feet on Holt floods, attaching itself to Greylags during the day. It ended up with Greylags & Canadas on Llay Pool (with a brief visit to Fagl Lane gravel pit).

I'll dig out dates for you, might even treat you to a pic or two. It was a Lesser by the way.

 

[Steve Lister]

So the blue bird reported one day in Flintshire was the long staying Denbighshire bird then ?

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Yes. Holt (1) & Llay Pool (3) are Denbighshire (or Wrexham, depending on which taxonomic authority you follow), Fagl Lane (2) is Flintshire.

 

[Andy Lakin]

Am I right in assuming that most people consider the pair in Lincs.at the moment wild birds? There seems to have been a fair bit of interest.

 

[Steve Lister]

Am I right in assuming that most people consider the pair in Lincs.at the moment wild birds? There seems to have been a fair bit of interest.

I would say they are as wild as any. Interesting that it seems the same two birds account for sightings in Lothian (in off on September 19th and refound nearby on 25th), Lins/East Yorkshire (October 7th to 16th) and today new in north Norfolk.

 

[Stephen Dunstan]

is the Lancashire bird now with Greylags at Martin Mere the same as the one seen with Pinkfeet on the Ribble Estuary. If it is that would highlight the difficulties with assessment. See also the Red-breasted Goose in the same area last winter first seen with Pinks and later hanging out with Greylags.

 

[Steve Lister]

is the Lancashire bird now with Greylags at Martin Mere the same as the one seen with Pinkfeet on the Ribble Estuary. If it is that would highlight the difficulties with assessment. See also the Red-breasted Goose in the same area last winter first seen with Pinks and later hanging out with Greylags.

Given the proximity of the sites and the dates I would hazard a guess that yes, the same bird.