Friday 15 November 2013

Is it a Swan?

Many thanks to Jordan Cameron of Portuairk for sending the Diary these pictures of a bird he spotted in the croft fields.

His father, Angus-John, identifies it as a swan, perhaps an immature one, but the Diary think it's a goose.  It doesn't seem to have the black areas around the top of its bill that most swans have.  One possibility is that it's an albino goose.

Can anyone give us an identification?

5 comments:

  1. It definitely looks like it's swanning about!

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  2. A juvenile Whooper Swan Jon, arrived from as far as Scandinavia and arctic Russia.

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  3. It's a juvenile swan - hard to tell from the photos whether it's a Whooper or a Bewick's. They usually migrate here with their parents so I guess this one has got lost.

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  4. Many thanks for the identifications. Jon

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  5. Dave McFadzean Moniaive15 November 2013 at 16:02

    OK, it looks like a young Bewick tae me. Shorter neck than whoopers of which we get hunners doon here. Also a lot less yellow on the bill of a Bewick. Afraid the picture clarity rules oot bill colour identification. I still plump for Bewick though because of the shortish neck.

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