Natural Selection

I went to Little Singleton more in hope than expectation yesterday afternoon, but it was an enjoyable visit. The feral geese were gathered on the River Wyre, and the escaped Bar-headed Goose that comes and goes was with them. There are a few that roam from Grange duckpond, but I think it’s the same bird that keeps appearing here.

Showing that geese don’t really differentiate between wild and feral some Pinkfeet dropped into the throng and were quite at home. It’s no wonder so many goose flock include various waifs and strays of contrasting origins.

There had hardly been gulls around when I became conscious that several hundred Black-headed had dropped in for a pre-roost wash and brush up. I eventually picked out a distant Mediterranean Gull in the throng, and could see it was sporting a white Darvic ring. I’ve had a couple of brief white ringed Meds but never clinched one, so really wanted to read the code.

Eventually I got close enough to read the code – 34PN. This was new to me and the other people who might have seen it, but was clearly from Belgium or The Netherlands given the code. Camille from the scheme was very efficient and the life history arrived with me this morning. The Little Singleton sighting made it four nations it has been seen in – ringed in Holland and seen subsequently in France and Portugal.

It will be interesting to see if it turns up anywhere else locally over the next few months, and if its breeding grounds will ever be discovered.