It was very nice to see the European White-fronted Goose at the Neath saltmarsh yesterday. This bird having been found the day before by Martin Bell. On closer inspection it does have a metal ring on its left leg which presumably brings into question the validity of this bird being treated as truly wild? It was at times alert to my presence but in general it stayed close to a group of Canada Geese and its behaviour generally mirrored theirs.
It is a real shame that you can't just rely on the fact that if an unusual goose turns up in a suitable habitat that it is wild. It begs the question how many "wild" geese do you need to see together for them to be safely categorised as wild; more than one, 2+, 3+, 4+, etc. The 15 Pink-footed Geese around Kenfig last year are surely safe but is the single Pink-footed Goose that has been knocking around also safe?
The Abyssinian Blue-winged Goose above was also present at the Neath saltmarsh yesterday and has been in the area for at least a couple of days. It has a very restricted range in the Ethiopian highlands and interestingly, Abyssinian Blue-winged Geese are nocturnal and even though they are capable fliers and swimmers, they are reluctant to do either. This bird has now been seen locally at the Gnoll CP, Neath saltmarsh and at Fendrod Lake moving around with the Canada Geese.
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