Taiga bean geese, Slamannan Plateau

Both species of bean geese are pretty scarce visitors to the UK and before today I'd only ever seen taiga bean geese singularly in amongst flocks of pink-foots on the Lancashire mosslands. However just south of Falkirk is the Slamannan plateau, an upland area of improved grassland, juncus pasture and bogs, rising to a height of around 170m. This area holds over 50% of the UK population of taiga bean geese, around 200 birds.

I called in here in November but failed to see any bean geese, however today was a different story. First stop  was on the B803, Bank street just before the Primary school at the village of Slamannan. It's a nice raised up spot and gives great views over the fields below. Straight away I spotted a flock of 18 taiga beans and a little closer 10 whooper swans. Then I took the minor road west, about a mile north of Slamannan and came across a second flock of around 59 taiga's. 

There are also at least 200 pink-footed geese in the area, but apart from a couple of individuals with the larger of the two bean goose flocks, they didn't mix today, which I was quite pleased about, because it was nice just to experience a more or less pure flock of beans.

The view from the playing fields just off the B803. The small flock of taiga bean geese is just to the right of centre in the photo.

It's a wonderful, wild area and I was delighted to see these geese. Despite the clear blue skies all day it was very icy, easily the coldest day I've experienced so far this winter.

There were lots of places like this, puddles at the side of the road which cars have driven through leaving the spray frozen on the hedge.