Geese

Almost daily I hear the calls from the skeins of geese as they fly north or south in their migrations over Golspie, and I stop to look up at them, envious of the freedom they have in their skies. However, we rarely have the opportunity to get close to them so when....

....we saw a flock of a hundred or so in a field near Loch Fleet we seized the opportunity. We were fortunate that we were walking through Ferry Woods at the time so used the cover of the trees to....

....move as close as possible without disturbing the birds.

They're pink-footed geese, which seem to be the dominant species here though we have also seen small flocks of greylags.

Watching them made me realise that, although they have the freedom of the skies, their life on the ground is very different. They are constantly on guard, wary of the many dangers that surround them and - because I can't believe the local farmers take too kindly to the geese eating their livestock's pasture - constantly being 'moved on'. So, at any one time, out of a dozen geese....

....only one or two were actually feeding.

Happily, when we returned from our walk some two hours later, they were still in the field, so perhaps this farmer didn't mind losing some of his crop to these beautiful birds.