Greylag geese find a home in Jeziorki

A few days ago I was intrigued by the sight of four greylag geese (Anser anser, gęś gęgawa) flying low over our estate, honking loudly as they did so. Today, I saw a pair flying over further north along ulica Trombity - the light was good, I had my 300mm zoom lens on my Nikon D3500, so I managed to catch a decent snap.

Reaching the pond at the end of ul. Trombity, I spotted a large number - larger than I'd ever seen in Poland. In the shot below, you can see seven - there were three to the right of this frame, two to the left 12 in total, six pairs. A massive number for a bird that numbers around 8,000 breeding pairs in Poland.

 

Numbers are rising across Europe, which is good news. Greylag females lay up to 20 eggs, so let's hope there will many goslings on our ponds this spring! Below: here's a pair on the water, captured by our neighbour Tomek (thanks!)

Below: I snapped this pair with the superzoom on my Nikon Coolpix P900 in April 2017. They came, had a look around, and flew off.

Goose-stepping like the East Germany army, a trio of domestic geese (Anser domesticus) guard their territory (around the corner from ulica Buszycka) well.

They can be quite aggressive! There were five of them here last August. Interestingly Anser anser and Anser domesticus can interbreed; their goslings share characteristics of both species. The grey male (to the left of both pics) looks like he's the result of interbreeding.

Back to the pond. Left: a male common pochard (głowienka zwyczajna), one of several pochards I have seen this year. There were none last year: the water levels on the ponds were far lower than this year or 2019. My first sighting of this species in Jeziorki was in 2017, a veritable annus mirabilis for waterfowl around here. I have yet to see any grebes here this year, either the great crested grebe (perkoz dwuczuby) or the black-necked grebe (perkoz zausznik). Regular ducks (mallards), coots and black-faced gulls are here, but then they are perennial denizens of our waters.

The swans are back too - last year the same pair that have been coming here to breed every season since 2008 returned, but there were no cygnets to be seen - whether the habitat wasn't right (low water) or they're just getting old, I don't know. They are currently engaged in nest-building on the far side of the middle pond, much further from the footpath than last year. 

Ringed swans have a yellow plastic tag on their right leg leg and a metal one on the left leg. This individual looks like he has the metal tag H774 (so yellow tag 2KC1). If it is, then it's the old cob who's no stranger to these parts, a 13th season.

Bonus shot: spring is late this year; the apple blossom is slowly beginning to appear; Felusia, (Felis cattus) has popped up the apple tree to take a closer look at the miracle of nature as it unfolds. I expect Jabłkowizna to be in peak bloom around 30 April - 3 May. 

This time last year:

Aviation over lockdown Jeziorki

This time two years ago:
Easter in Ealing

This time five years ago:
WiFi works on Polish train shock

This time six years ago:
My dream camera, just around the corner
[No, the Nikon Z6/Z7 don't make the grade]

This time eight year ago:
Longer, lighter lens

This time nine years ago:
New engine on the coal train 

This time ten years ago
High time to leave the car at home

This time 11 years ago:
The answer to urban commuting

This time 14 years ago:
Far away across the fields

Returning geese

What a sight. Seventy geese in arrowhead formation. Grey body, black neck and head... but dark underwing. Are these Canada Geese? If so, they are quite a way east of their usual summering grounds of North West Europe. I caught this flock as it flew over Dawidy this morning.

Sunday's swan conjecture (post below) proved accurate; the children saw one of the four on the reedbeds at the end of our road this morning, standing on ice, not happy with the situation. Still, they arrived a week earlier than they did last year or the year before.

Flying south for the winter

It's that time of year again; the migratory birds form up and head south. Yesterday I snapped this gaggle of geese over Jeziorki; they headed north for a while towards town, then wheeled round to the west, then headed off south. By the time we see them again, we will have experienced another Polish winter.

I snapped a larger gaggle flying into Poland on 12 March this year. When will they return next year?

This time last year:
Gosh! It's 12 months since the parliamentary elections!
Hidden glories of London's Underground
London from the air

Another sight that presages spring's arrival

Driving to Łódź today, I spotted this gaggle of migrating geese overhead. It has long fascinated me as to why they keep this 'V' formation and how the lead goose comes to be selected. This article has the answer to the first question - it's to do with aerodynamics (akin to cyclists following in one another's slipstream). One goose may not make a summer, but a large flock like this suggests that spring is on its way. The temperature nudged +14C today - a record so far this year.