Red-breasted goose and Bewick’s swans

Today started with singing song thrushes and robins.

Off to Schouwen island (or peninsula, now that causeways link it to other landmasses) in Zealand province.

At the northern end of the Brouwersdam, ten brent geese, herring gulls, and a great black-backed gull.

A bit further, a lone sanderling on a small sandy beach.

Male and female common goldeneyes swimming. More on this species is here.

Many oystercatchers.

A male common scoter.

A red-throated diver.

At the usual seal spot swims a grey seal. Turnstones on the rocks.

In Scharendijke harbour, a great crested grebe and a little grebe swimming.

We continue to the south coast of Schouwen.

In a wetland, mallard, wigeon and shoveler ducks. Many curlews.

On the other side of the road, hundreds of barnacle geese. Also white-fronted geese, and shelducks.

Grey lag geese flying overhead.

A bit further, a few Egyptian geese on a field.

On a meadow a bit further, a special bird. A lone red-breasted goose (see also here) between hundreds of brent and barnacle geese.

In a wetland, thirteen avocets look for food.

Tufted ducks.

Hundreds of curlews and bar-tailed godwits, sometimes flying.

Teal. Male and female pintail ducks.

Two red-breasted mergansers (see also here) flying overhead.

On the dike, common polypody growing.

A bit further, two Bewick’s swans feeding on a field.

Still further, near Zonnemaire village, a group of scores of swans feeding on a field wet from the rain of previous days. Most are whooper swans, but there are some Bewick’s swans as well. Some swans are young, with grey feathers. Also, there are a few grey lag geese and scores of black-headed gulls on the field.

See also these photos.