There are occasions, as a birder, when a sure species or group defines a interval of your life. For many people, this winter is all concerning the ‘invasion’ of Waxwings that has gripped the UK. Charismatic, stunning and from an individual to flocks a thousand robust, there are few species that flip heads and win hearts like Waxwings do. My winter, nevertheless, has been outlined thus far by geese. Not as horny as Waxwings for certain, however I’ve shared so many happinesses with geese within the final couple of months that it will be unattainable to not acknowledge them.
It began with a wonderful second shared with my daughter. We have been in Norfolk in September, combining apple selecting, ice cream and birding. Late within the day, an infinite flock of Pink-footed Geese introduced their presence excessive above us with their high-pitched, winking (honking to regular folks, however now I work for The Sound Approach I can not say that). They trailed throughout the sky, flying in lazy, raggedy, rippling skeins. To my shock, daughter regarded up at them thoughtfully earlier than asserting to the entire playground: “Mummy, look: migration!” I had defined a couple of weeks beforehand (and simplistically) how birds would go to hotter locations for a winter vacation, however I used to be shocked that her five-year-old thoughts had retained the phrase and idea. (Next up, ‘murmuration’, ’emargination’, and ‘moustachial stripe’.
As winter drew in, I used to be again in Norfolk as soon as extra, this time surrounded by Brent Geese. It was freezing chilly with a biting wind and occasional flurries of gray mizzle. In some of the fortuitous moments in my birding life, we ran into well-known wildlife artist and goose knowledgeable James McCallum, who, whereas casually scanning by the flock for the umpteenth time that day, unexpectedly and really calmly introduced: “Oh, there is a Red-breasted Goose!” He adopted it up with an much more informal: “Huh, that is the one goose I’d by no means discovered earlier than.” If birding moments might be cool, this was one in every of them, and it was essential to rejoice with mulled wine within the pub.
Sightings of huge flocks of geese, together with Barnacle Geese within the Netherlands, have reminded Lucy of the fun of winter birding (Mark Wilson).
Winter goose chase
Lying in mattress on the day of writing, I awoke to the high-pitched, musical sound of Russian White-fronted Geese laughing as they handed over in small teams, adopted by the barking of Barnacle Geese. Driving round that day within the east of the Netherlands, I liked seeing the flocks of ‘white-fronts’ grazing within the waterlogged fields, the adults with their patchily striped bellies and neat white blaze.
I affiliate birding in winter with being very, very chilly – and so have by no means loved it as a lot as I ought to. I’ve an incapacity to placed on sufficient garments to maintain me heat; even with two pairs of socks, gloves, hat and every part else, if there may be an inch of pores and skin uncovered for a minute, I’ll be shivering, my frozen fingers unable to make use of the main focus wheel on my binoculars. I really like the flocks of geese, geese and swans, the shimmering of a wader murmuration, the drama of a starling murmuration, the fun of a Long-eared Owl roosting in a tree or a flock of superb Brambling, however I simply cannot keep heat. Mulled wine admittedly improves the expertise.
But my minor inconveniences paled once I chatted to a Leicester birder named Steve. Steve loves watching wildlife, however winter brings a bodily problem. While I get chilly, Steve’s well being is critically in danger in chilly climate as he suffers from bronchial asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). His lung operate is considerably decrease than common, and the chilly is a serious set off. During the winter months, he’s restricted as to the place he can go, how lengthy he can keep out and the way far he can walk. As the temperature drops under 10°C, the chance is just too nice, and on one event Steve was practically hospitalised after misjudging the climate and the gap he walked.
Hearing Steve’s story, and understanding what number of are in the identical position, has inspired me to placed on my fluffy socks, get a greater jumper and cease my whinging about winter. I’m glad to share his story wider. The geese and geese, Bramblings and Hawfinches, owls, thrushes and Waxwings are experiences all of us stay up for because the rhythm of the 12 months progresses; I can recognize them much more understanding that these will not be moments I ought to take as a right.
