Return of the Todd's at Banks

I've had a good winter for Todd's Canada Goose with todays bird at Banks my 4th of the winter. This bird which was found about 10 days ago is thought to be the returning bird from previous winters and is a lot paler on the breast than the other Todd's which has been here since October and it also has a dark chin strap. This is only the third time that I have seen this bird and when I look back at my records there's a remarkable consistency of dates, the other times being at Crossens marsh on 23rd March 2019 & 16th March 2020.

It's an incredible spectacle at the moment with probably at least 15,000 pink-feet stretching right across the marsh. 

Also today I watched a flock of about eight drake eiders fly across the marsh and land out of sight in a hidden channel. Perhaps unsurprisingly a site tick for me.

The chin strap.

A short video of the bird which shows the dark chin strap quite nicely and which apart from the pale breast differentiates this bird from the darker Todd's which has spent all winter at Banks. This bird is back for its 4th winter and has already been accepted as Todd's and as wild by British Birds Rarities Committee. Todd's is different to the Canada geese at the local park, being smaller and darker and they are considered to be genuinely wild birds which have travelled with the pink-feet from North America via Iceland, unlike the park birds which are resident and more or less tame and which are only present in the UK thanks to escapes from captivity or deliberate releases back in the 19th century. These are now classed as feral breeders.