Adult White-fronted Goose still present late afternoon today with Barnacle Goose and 111 Canada Geese in fields on north side of Cow Moor Bay opposite Sailing Club. Also, big gull roost near the Dam containing 5,800 Herring Gulls, 3,100 Lesser-Black-backed Gulls, 2000 Black-headed Gulls, 100 Common Gulls and 4 Great Black-backed Gulls, allowing for a margin of error of course with such big counts.

Many wildfowl haven’t made it this far west due to the milder winter (or may already be heading back to breeding areas), although more “rare” geese seem to be around than average. For comparison slimbridge currently have nearly 200 white fronts, 3 of which are Greenland birds, but they think their wintering flock of barnacles is mostly feral birds from South Wales & locally.

Whilst doing my monthly 11 mile walk around the lake for the WeBs count I came across an adult White-fronted Goose early a.m. swimming with a flock of 110 Canada Geese. Also present was a Barnacle Goose, likely to be feral or escape, presumably the same bird I saw on Minehead Marshes one day last month. The Canada Geese regularly commute between Wimbleball and Dunster. I saw the White-front just on the edge of Cow Moor bay, which is is opposite the Sailing Club.

The White-fronted Goose is the first Exmoor record since March 2013 when 6 of the Greenland race, Anser albifrons flavirostris were seen at Bossington and Minehead Marshes. It is also the first Wimbleball record since March 2008 when 2 were present for over 2 weeks. There have been some records of White-fronts already this year in Somerset. The only blank records for this species in Somerset since 2000 were 2012, 2014 and 2015.

Sadly, there was no sign of many dabbling duck on the lake compared to last month when a Shoveler, a female Goldeneye and Wigeon, Pochard and Teal were all present. Up until a few years ago these birds would have been present for most of the winter.