Goose filler

Mrs L has concluded that I spend too much time at my desk and that this isn't good for me, and so now that she and the kids are basically done for the year she has started taking me out for walks. Today she took me over to Alexandra lake and when we got there I was allowed off the lead. Naturally I started joyfully chasing wildfowl.... 

And so it is that I'm pleased to report that Wanstead's White-fronted Goose continues, pootling around with the Greylags still. I think today is day 17 of its stay, so it's over halfway to making it onto my 2021 list. Fingers crossed. It is becoming a bit of a celebrity actually. A friend of mine came round on Monday and also took me out for a walk. He'd heard about the influx on Radio 4, I think Nick Moran from the BTO was doing a piece on NocMig and had managed to slip it in. He was naturally very keen to see what all the fuss was about, and I also showed him Shoveler and Common Gull so I'm pretty sure he came away wowed. In fact he may be turning into a bit of a secret bird watcher as he's also seen the Short-eared Owls at Gunpowder Park whilst out jogging and took enough interest to find out what they were and take a picture on his iPhone. It is never too late to start.

Here are a few photos of it. The light was predictably dire by the time I was able to get out today, a shame as the sky had been a lovely pale blue throughout all my morning meetings. Try as I might I have yet to get it on my garden list. The Greylags do commute back and forth over my house each day and I've managed to photograph them a few times in the morning but never managed to pick it out. Interestingly Nick reckons he's seen it returning with them one evening, but by the time they come over it is too dark for photos and they also take a slightly different line which passes a little way south of me. I'll keep trying!