In the land locked coastal lacking West Midlands, the sighting of unusual wildfowl- particularly on migratory routes makes for a rewarding experience. Many twitchers regard such foreign originating birds as “plastic” or “feral”, in that they are likely to have escaped from some private collection. But this is unfair to the birds, and perhaps the only chance to see such avian species unless you are prepared to go to more exotic climbs. Personally I’d rather stay here.
A red breasted male goose recently appeared with a flock of other Canada geese. He is highly distinctive in colouration.
This tiny goose is usually found in Winter in countries like Romania and Bulgaria, though this one seemed quite at home in Dudley.
This Northern Pintail pair, more likely to be truly “wild” were on a river in Birmingham. They cover a large part of Europe and Asia, as well as North America.
And finally again in Birmingham, a pair of red-crested pochard. I had seen a striking male before in other locations, but this was the first pair I had seen. Mainly seen in Southern Europe and Asia , they winter in the Indian sub continent and Northern Africa.