Country diary: may the barnacle geese be protected from all unkind fates

Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd: Their faces were white-masked; barred wings flickered stroboscopic silver; pale bellies and rumps glowed in the dimity lightIdling down to Abergafren on a dank autumn evening, I heard the calls high above - a yapping and yelping like a litter of young pekingese dogs, a sound that used to be one of the identifying features of this lovely estuary of the Dwyryd. Reaching the shore, I took out my glass and focused on a flight of seven birds, gliding down towards Glastraeth. Their faces were white-masked; barred wings flickered stroboscopic silver; pale bellies and rumps glowed in the dimity light. Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) - one of my favourite birds, down from their breeding grounds in the Arctic. Continue reading...