Cackling Goose – near Cleish, Perth and Kinross, 10^th April 1994

During the autumn 1993 to autumn 1996 period, I was working on the Scotland to Northern Ireland Pipeline Project in Dumfries and Galloway (with visits to County Antrim) and commuting home to South Queensferry most weekends.

During winter, a quick jaunt across the Forth Road Bridge to Vane Farm was an occasional weekend trip for some birding – not too far, but with the chance of some good birding. In doing so there was the chance of some wildfowl interest..... .

On Sunday the 10th April 1994, for example, there as a Snow Goose close by near Cleish. There was also a ‘small race’ Canada Goose there.

When, finally, in 2016, British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee opted to accept records of Lesser Canada / Cackling Goose as a species in its’ own right (Branta hutchinsi) this proved to be my first such record.

As ever, in such instances, my notes are limited to the very basic facts (date, place, species present..... ). No detailed description was considered necessary, clearly.

So, I’ll not dream up a description of any sort here, other than for the fact that I saw a Canada Goose which clearly wasn’t a (Greater) Canada Goose.

I later saw a Todd’s Canada Goose at Cornabus on Islay in early April 2018. This was distinctively smaller and darker than Greater Canada Goose. Oh, and what was deemed to be a 'hybrid' small race Canada Goose on south Mainland Shetland in October 2015 soon after seeing a Lesser White-fronted Goose from the Swedish reintroduction programme, but now we are plumbing the depths of dubious wildfowl, so I'll stop right there.

Unfortunately, at this remove there is little searchable material on the Cleish bird, and, indeed, it doesn't appear in the list of records accepted by BBRC. As such, illustrating the same, either with one of my dodgy pictures or an image of it, or something very similar, is fraught, as I cannot be sure just what race it was. Still, that make for one less drawing.... .