Pale-bellied brent geese, Hilbre Island

Photo: Pale-bellied brent goose,
ringed in North Wales.

There's been record counts of pale-bellied brent geese at Hilbre this winter, with over 400 birds present. Today we counted 408 plus at least 3 dark-bellied brent. The flock includes at least one bird ringed in Arctic Canada, two from Iceland and one ringed in North Wales.

Pale-bellied brent are not that common in England, the majority of brent are dark-bellied from Arctic Russia which winter on the south and east coast. Pale-bellied brent breed in Greenland and winter in Ireland, but there is an overspill to Wales, western England and Scotland.

Photo: Dark-bellied brent goose.

Photo: Dark and pale-bellied brent geese.