Pink-footed Goose - 2018

Anser brachyrhynchus 

Scarce winter visitor and passage migrant.

Previous records summarised in Bean Goose - 1994

1993 - Singles Ramsey 18 May and Fishguard Harbour 19 December

1997 - 2 Hook 5-14 Jan; one Teifi Marshes 12 June.  In both cases attached to Canada Goose flocks.

1998 - One with the Canada goose flock Teifi Marshes 6-10 October

1999 - One with the Canada goose flock Teifi Marshes 10 Feb - May (JWD, JG, DJ et al.

2000 - Presumed feral bird Teifi Marshes 5-19 Apr (JG), one W Strumble Hd 3 Nov (JWD et al).

2005 One Nevern Est 7 & 12 Oct (SB).

2006 - One Llechryd area Jan – 3 Mar (JG, LL).

2007 - The only record received was of one on Skomer 4 & 5 October (JGB, NT)

2010 - A single juvenile was at Newport on 26th & 27th Sept. (RD), while four flew east over Skomer on 1st Mar - only the 3rd record for the island.

2011 - A single bird of unknown origin was seen at Newport on 4th - 25th Mar.

2012 - Seven birds seen overhead near Martletwy on 8th Jan.  Four birds seen on Skomer on 29th Oct then re-located to Marloes Mere from 4th November until the end of the year

2013 - An uncommon visitor to the county with records of single birds often clouded with the unknown origin label, however the four birds that frequented Marloes Mere & Skomer from 2nd Jan until 30th March were almost certainly genuine wild birds.

2014 - A single seen in flight at the Gann on 30th March was the only record.

2015 -  A single bird at Newport on 22nd Sept was the only occurrence and most likely of doubtful origin.

2016 - A single bird frequented the Teifi from 27th June to 9th July – presumed feral.

2018 - Two on the Teifi Marshes 14th April was the only record.

Records extracted from the Pembrokeshire Bird Reports 1993-2018

Pink-footed Goose - 1949

Anser fabilis brachyrhynchus

Mathrew includes it in brackets.  W.F.Bentley considers it a winter visitor in small flocks but there are no definite records.

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society

Pink-footed Goose - 1994

Rare visitor

Mathew (1894) says that Henry Mathias included this species in his list but was doubtful if it was correctly identified, while Lockley et al. (1949) could add no other records.

The first certain identification was of two passing Strumble Head on 21 October 1961 (J.W. Donovan), followed by 16 at Marloes on 8 January 1979, three at Lleithyr on 19 February 1979, one attached to the Canada Goose flock at Hook from 23 November 1980 to 22 March 1981, one at Marloes Mere in late January 1982 with two from 2 to 7 February 1982, one at the Gann from 30 January to 6 February 1982, one at Marloes Mere from 26 January to 2 February 1985, two at Skokholm on 27 May 1988, one at Skomer on 25 April 1991, eight at Strumble Head on 6 October 1992, with one there the next day, and one at Herbrandston on 8 October 1992

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

Pink-footed Goose - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that 1-2 Pink-footed Geese were noted in two Pembrokeshire 10km squares, at The Gann and Marloes Mere, during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

Graham Rees

Pink-footed Goose - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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