Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Canada Geese

I got a text from an old friend Chris Meehan last week to say that there were three Canada Geese with the flock of Barnacles at Killard near Doonbeg.  So last Saturday 7th December, Finbarr MacGabhainn and myself stopped off briefly at Doonbeg, on a whistle stop tour of west Clare to try and relocate these birds to see what race they belonged to.  There were two small birds that were certainly Cackling Geese (Branta h. hutchinsii).  The third bird was a little larger and we were not sure if it was of the race (Branta c. canadensis or Branta c. parvipes) found in central Canada and the North-west.  Phone conversations with Dermot Breen about the bird in the right of the picture below does point towards parvipes but I need to dig out additional photos to show the full size, structure and shape of this bird before we can be sure. (more photos to follow later).

Canada Geese at Doonbeg © John N Murphy

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