BIRD 6

We finish with a bird which is upside down in the water, legs in the air. But that doesn’t mean you can’t identify it! Those legs are short and robust, with large webbed feet; legs and feet are wholly blackish. The body is brown with brown stripes, with a white rear end, probably the lower vent and undertail coverts. Meanwhile, what appears to be the breast is pale buff, almost white. The overall impression is that this bird is a goose. Those black legs rule out all of the ‘grey geese’ and Egyptian Goose. Of the ‘black’ geese (Brent, Barnacle and Canada), only Canada Goose has a pale breast. So even though you can’t see the neck, head or upperparts, you can be confident that this is indeed a bathing Canada Goose.

Key features

Short, thick legs and big webbed feet; all black

Brown striped flanks and paler brown to buff belly

White lower belly and undertail

Pale breast ‘diagnostic’