Swans and Geese

Another keen frost last night with another sunny day to follow, wall to wall blue sky, but bitter cold. After a quick walk with the Westies and a look in at the flood area, where there was a few hundred Lapwings, and Fieldfare & Redwings in the nearby field. I decided to head up to Cardurnock area to see if there was any signs of the Red-breasted Goose that is being seen with the Barnacle Geese. I decided to go via Skinburness to give the marsh a quick scan, as it happened there was nothing doing there, but what I found as I drove along the Calvo road more than made up for that, because I found two fields full of these----

Whooper Swans, with the odd one or two Mutes with them. Its pointless doing any cropping of these pics because the spectacle of such a mass would be lost.

It was an awesome sight, I've never seen so many Whoopers in such a concentration, I estimate there was a least 500 possibly more.

Now as if this spectacle wasn't enough, the next thing the sky is filled with geese, and amazingly not Barnacle geese but Pink-footed Geese thousands of them. I have had reports from other people that there are a lot hanging round Cumbria, normally they would be much further South in Lancashire.

Some of the pinkies were landing which gave me the chance of a couple of flight shots

Next I moved on to Cardurnock where there was thousands of  Barnacle Geese, a Conservative estimate would put the figure at around 6000 +

Foreground Barnacle Geese, small dots mid pic. are Golden Plover

Again Golden Plover mixing in with the Barnies.

More Golden Plover , this time with sheep, each time they where too far away for decent shots, and I didn't have my digi equipment with me.  

 By now I'm shivering , so it time to head home, and not a  Res-breasted goose to be found by anyone while I was there.