... and taking refuge among the few remaining leaves of the tall sycamores ...
... with the Barnacle Geese at Caerlaverock was a hybrid goose thought to have Barnacle and Snow Goose parentage but having more than a passing resemblance to a blue phase Snow Goose ... it certainly sent my pulse racing for a moment when I first encountered it last winter ...
... and at Slimbridge a scattered group of fifteen Eurasian White-fronted Geese fed discreetly away from a large flock of Greylags ...
... the Red-breasted Goose of unknown origin but of undoubted appeal was still with the Barnacle Goose flock ...
... and it brought to mind the Peter Scott painting that we called in to see at the Nature in Art Gallery not far from Slimbridge ( thanks Nick for the alert ) ... the single Red-breasted Goose along with Eurasian Whitefronts with a snowy background ...
... that very same painting that was featured on the cover of the excellent 1966 Shell Bird Book by James Fisher ...
But amid the enjoyment of winter birding looms the spectre of continuing raptor persecution ... with more reports of illegally killed birds coming to light ... and yet more raptors that have been illegally killed just becoming known about ...
... the reasons for this are clear ...
... the new Petition to Ban Driven Grouse Shooting has now reached 12,694 signatures and the Government response to its passing 10,000 is now more than a week late according to statutory requirements ...
... those who signed are being wilfully ignored by this terrible government ...
... please sign to add to the building pressure ...
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