Having a gander at a rare species
When William Shakespeare penned the phrase “a wild goose chase” in Romeo and Juliet, the saying had nothing to do with birdwatching but alluded to the hopeless pursuit of things beyond reach.
We’re still using the phrase today, 400 years later, but Shakespeare originally plucked the words from Tudor horse racing. Riders forlornly chasing a runaway leader would create the same V-shape formation as wild geese decorating the skies.
Over the past few weeks I have been on a wild goose chase myself, in the truest meaning of the words, by trying to spot some of the most attractive but elusive wildfowl to grace these islands.
Most winters, fewer than 2,000 Russian white-fronted geese arrive from remote tundra breeding grounds in Siberia to forage in fields in East Anglia and the Severn Valley.
The bulk of the global population heads towards the Balkans and the Dutch North Sea coast, but unusual weather conditions in late November favoured the British Isles.
Strong anticyclone conditions over central Europe brought about freezing temperatures which, in turn, pushed migrating flocks westwards in unprecedented numbers.
Hundreds of white-fronted birds were seen in small flocks of up to 35 across the South East, with some individuals even venturing into the capital. One bird was spotted promenading in Regent’s Park.
Many singletons took refuge among the gaggles of greylag geese that are abundant on stretches of inland open water, allowing birdwatchers an insight into the subtle identification features that separate the two species.
Greylags are the forerunners of the farmyard goose and are bulkier and far less shy than wild white-fronted birds.
As the name suggests, the adult Russian white-fronted goose has a distinctive blaze around the bill as well as black flashes across the belly. Its bill is a pinkish colour and legs orange, the reverse of a greylag.
Luckily, my pursuit paid off when I spotted a youngster, minus its white bill markings, along with an adult bird. The pair swam close into view to bring my own wild goose chase to a happy conclusion.
Hundreds of white-fronts were seen, with some even coming to London