Pink-footed Geese at Frampton Marsh

12th January 2022

A mid-winter visit to Frampton Marsh and what better place to start than the car park. At Frampton the car park is lined with Alders which attract large numbers of Goldfinches which are always photogenic and today was no exception, helped along by the brilliant sunshine.

In front of the visitor centre a lone Redshank was feeding on the newly turned mud, while on the south side of the car park several Ruff were feeding on the flooded fields.

Further along the track a rather smart male Stonechat was posing for photos, sometimes down to just 10 yards. Why can't all birds be like this?

By the sea wall car park a lone Black-tailed Godwit was feeding on the marsh, while a Shelduck and a small flock of Wigeon were making the most of the pools.

There were huge numbers of geese on site, predominantly Greylag and Brent, mainly roosting but provided some flight shot opportunities as they took to the sky to fly to their feeding grounds out on the estuary.

This lone Brent Goose was fairly tame but seemed to be quite healthy.

Along the sea wall a few Dunlin were feeding on the saltmarsh alongside a small flock of Meadow Pipits, and on the reserve side of the wall a couple of Reed Buntings were making the most of the abundant seeds on the Phragmites heads.

But the somewhat unexpected stars of the show today was the 1000+ strong flock of Pink-footed Geese that were feeding on the field adjacent to the entrance road about a mile before you get to the centre. I have often seen Pink-feet flying over Frampton but the first time I have seen on the ground. What a fantastic start to the day!!!