White-fronted Goose - 1994

Scarce winter visitor and passage migrant. Not recorded from May to August

Mathew (1894) refers to the White-fronted Goose as an occasional winter visitor in severe weather while Lockley et al. (1949) give four records and say that it passes over the islands on migration.

Nowadays, one or two occasionally drop in to stay awhile during the winter, sometimes attaching themselves to the Canada Goose flock on the Cleddau Estuary. Several flocks of between 30 and 130 Eurasian White-fronts, subspecies albifrons, took refuge in coastal districts, such as Marloes and Merrion, during the severe winter of 1963, arriving in January with some staying into March.

There seems to be a fairly regular passage of small flocks of up to 16 Greenland White-fronts, subspecies flavirostris, in October and November, with occasional occurrences from 2 September, probably birds on their way to Ireland. An exceptionally large passage of five flocks totalling 94 birds passing westwards occurred at Strumble Head on 17 October 1991, when a few also passed Caldey. One or two are occasionally seen on passage between March and early May.

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire