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Saturday, 18 October 2014

Blue phase Snow Goose - Beeley Moor

A Great Grey Shrike was seen twice yesterday in the Triangle area so I had high hopes for the morning. A couple of Ring Ousel and a Stonechat were a positive start but no sign of the Shrike in a strong southerly wind. 
I was by myself around 10:00 when a single goose flew south along Fallinge Edge at a considerable distance. At a first glance I though it was a Greylag but took a couple of record photos and noted the white head leaving me perplexed. Ken, Simon, Mick and Alan had also seen the bird but at even greater distance. 
Looking at the photos more closely, which I've merged on to a single photo below it certainly looks like a blue phase Snow Goose.
The Snow Goose is generally regarded as an escapee in Derbyshire but still an interesting record. There is a record of a feral bird at Wyver Lane, Belper on 1st October and it would be interesting to know if that was a blue phase bird.

Snow Goose?

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2 comments:

  1. chris brown19 October 2014 at 20:51

    Hi andy the snow goose that was at wyver lane and later at carsington water was a white morph so yours is a different bird.

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  2. Andy Butler19 October 2014 at 21:08

    Thanks Chris, I had a text from Roger yesterday to say that there were three blue phase birds at Carsington on 1st July so there are doubtless odd birds in the County. All quiet on the Scillies according to Roger.

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