Rare feathered visitor to Tory island in Donegal
A rare visitor to Irish shores was photographed on Tory Island, off the coast of Donegal on Wednesday.
A Snow Goose (Anser Caerulescens) was spotted by Mickey Meenan who reported the sighting to Irishbirding.com.
Only a handful of sightings of the bird are reported each year with the majority being made along Ireland west coast and offshore islands. The last reported sighting of the bird on Irish shores was in the small Galway village of Belclare in January.
Most of the Snow Geese present in Ireland are individuals that have escaped from captivity, but a handful of travelling birds have visited Ireland.
The breeding range of the Snow Goose extends from eastern Siberia, across arctic North America to Greenland.
According to Birdwatch Ireland, “Winters in large flocks along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States. One or two individuals may associate with Greenland White-fronted Geese by mistake and end up wintering in Ireland. This species is also regularly kept in bird collections and escaped individuals can be seen at all times of the year.”
Snow Geese that arrive in Ireland feed with other geese on grasses and cereal stubble.
