Pale-bellied Brent Goose Branta (bernicla) hrota
Careful scanning of the flocks of Dark-bellied Brent Geese wintering in Norfolk will often reveal the presence of one or two individuals belonging to the Pale-bellied form, now considered to be a separate species by some of the less conservative authorities.
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Norton, 13-Mar-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Norton, 13-Mar-10") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Burnham Norton (Norfolk, UK), 13th March 2010
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
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first-winter Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 13th February 2010
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 13th February 2010 - six photos showing the same bird, a particularly striking individual
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 13th February 2010 - four photos showing the same bird but a different one from the six above
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Salthouse, 13-Feb-10") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 13th February 2010 - a different bird from the ones shown above
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Cley (Norfolk, UK), 3rd December 2011
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Overy, 10-Jan-04") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Overy, 10-Jan-04") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 10th January 2004
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Norton, 28-Feb-09") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Norton, 28-Feb-09") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Burnham Norton (Norfolk, UK), 28th February 2009
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Overy, 10-Jan-04") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Overy, 10-Jan-04") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Geese (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 10th January 2004. These two appeared to be different individuals from the one above.
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Docking, 16-Dec-03") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Docking, 16-Dec-03") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Pink-footed Geese), Docking (Norfolk, UK), 16th December 2003. Unusually, this elusive individual spent the winter with Pink-footed Geese rather than Dark-bellied Brent Geese. It moved with the Pink-feet to feed on harvested sugar-beet fields well inland in north-west Norfolk. The same bird has returned in subsequent winters and I saw it briefly at the same location in October 2006.
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Bircham, 18-Jan-08") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Bircham, 18-Jan-08") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Pink-footed Geese), Bircham (Norfolk, UK), 18th January 2008 - the same bird as above?
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Amner, 17-Nov-09") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Amner, 17-Nov-09") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Pink-footed Geese), Amner (Norfolk, UK), 17th November 2009 - still the same returning bird, or a new one?
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Cley, 5-Jan-08") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Cley, 5-Jan-08") |
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first-winter Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Cley (Norfolk, UK), 5th January 2008
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Cley, 3-Jan-11") |
%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Cley, 3-Jan-11") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), Cley (Norfolk, UK), 3rd January 2011
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%20L.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Overy, 31-Jan-09") |
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adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Goose), Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 31st January 2009
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I'm not convinced about the identity of the following bird. Among Dark-bellied Brent Geese it stood out as having very pale flanks, reminiscent of Black Brant. No other features even suggested Black Brant though, so I don't think it can even be a hybrid Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose. It didn't look like Pale-bellied, and although it's not apparent from these rubbish photos, I'm pretty sure the grey on the belly extended between the legs which it wouldn't on Pale-bellied. But I wonder if it could be a hybrid Pale-bellied x Dark-bellied?
By the way, does anybody know how a Grey-bellied Brent Goose would differ from a Dark-bellied x Pale-bellied Brent Goose hybrid?
%20L.JPG "Brent hybrid?, Burnham Overy, 3-Jan-11") |
%20L.JPG "Brent hybrid?, Burnham Overy, 3-Jan-11") |
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possible hybrid Pale-bellied Brent Goose x Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Overy (Norfolk, UK), 3rd January 2011
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%20T.JPG "Pale-bellied Brent Geese")
%20T.JPG "Black Brant")
%20T.JPG "Barnacle Goose")
%20T.JPG "Red-breasted Goose")