Barnacle Geese at Leeshaw

Saturday 5th January a.m. 2013
A routine visit to Leeshaw Reservoir on a cloudy but mild start to the day with a temperature of 8°C led us to a rare find for the Bradford area.We walked along the track that runs along side the reservoir and saw a number of Black & White birds on the water in an unusual tight formation. The first thought of course was Canadas but the formation was different so a closer look through the bins revealed Barnacle Geese!We first counted 35 of them which after looking through our snaps was later increased to 36, thinking this was a good find we passed the word on to Brian (West Yorkshire Birding). He did realise this was a Mega birding sighting & passed the word on to other local birders who came to get a look at them.They had moved off the water by the time they arrived but were soon re-located in the nearby fields where some more good snaps were taken.Brian himself got over later in the day & found them again now joined by a few Pinkies & so he too got a few snaps to round off a great day for all local birders who were able to get across & see them.
On reflection now still a memorable day, we haven't seen any Barnacle Geese since locally although a single bird has been seen several times with a flock of Canadas.
Barnacle Geese








Barnacle Geese at Leeshaw Reservoir 5/1/2013

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