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EXIF: Nikkor 105 mm f/4 1/1000 ISO-110 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)

The Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species. Despite its superficial similarity to the Brent Goose, genetic analysis has shown it is an eastern derivative of the Cackling Goose lineage.

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EXIF: Nikkor 105 mm f/6,3 1/640 ISO-200 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)

The Barnacle goose was first classified taxonomically by Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1803. Its specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek leuko- “white”, and opsis “faced”.

In English, the term “barnacle” originally referred only to this species of goose and only later to the crustacean barnacles. It is sometimes claimed that the word comes from a Celtic word for “limpet”, but the sense-history seems to go in the opposite direction.

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EXIF: Nikkor 105 mm f/4 1/1000 ISO-125 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)

The Barnacle Goose is a medium-sized goose, 60–70 cm long, with a white face and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its belly is white. The wings and its back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars that look like they are shining when the light reflects on it. During flight a V-shaped white rump patch and the silver-gray underwing linings are visible.

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EXIF: Nikkor 105 mm f/4 1/1000 ISO-110 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)

Barnacle Geese breed mainly on the Arctic islands of the North Atlantic. There are three main populations, with separate breeding and wintering ranges; from west to east:

* Breeding in eastern Greenland, wintering on the Hebrides of western Scotland and in western Ireland. Population about 40,000.
* Breeding on Svalbard, wintering on the Solway Firth on the England/Scotland border. Population about 24,000.
* Breeding on Novaya Zemlya, wintering in the Netherlands. Population about 130,000.
* A new fourth population, derived from the Novaya Zemlya population, has become established since 1975 breeding on the Baltic Sea islands (Estonia, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden), and wintering in the Netherlands. Population about 8,000.

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EXIF: Nikkor 105 mm f/4 1/1000 ISO-125 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)

Small numbers of feral birds, derived from escapes from zoo collections, also breed in other north European countries. Occasionally, a wild bird will appear in the Northeastern United States or Canada, but care must be taken to separate out wild birds from escaped individuals, as Barnacle Geese are popular waterfowl with collectors.

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EXIF: Nikkor 105 mm f/7,1 1/800 ISO-200 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)

Barnacle Geese frequently build their nests high on mountain cliffs; away from predators (primarily Arctic Foxes and Polar Bears) but also away from food. Like all geese, the goslings are not fed by the adults. Instead of bringing food to the newly hatched goslings, the goslings are brought to the ground. Unable to fly, the three day old goslings jump off the cliff and fall; their small size, feathery down, and very light weight helps to protect some of them from serious injury when they hit the rocks below, but many die from the impact. Arctic foxes are attracted by the noise made by the parent geese during this time and capture many dead or injured goslings. The foxes also stalk the young as they are led by the parents to wetland feeding areas.

Its call is a “kaw”.

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EXIF: Nikkor 105 mm f/4 1/1000 ISO-125 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)

These last two pictures are of the male.

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EXIF: Nikkor 105 mm f/4,5 1/1250 ISO-100 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)

source: In English Barnacle Goose In Norwegian Hvitkinngås In Swedish Vitkindad gås

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EXIF: Nikkor 105 mm f/4 1/1000 ISO-110 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)

Finally I got time with my camera AND the weather was with me for a little walk to the beach.

This is a cropped version.

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EXIF: Sigma 300 mm f/5,6 1/500 ISO-125

Both this pictures was taken in mars 2007 right after I had purchased the camera and started to take picture again after a long time with no camera.

The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to Arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body. It is quite often called the Canadian Goose, but that name is not strictly correct, according to the American Ornithologists’ Union.

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EXIF: Sigma 300 mm f/5,6 1/500 ISO-220

The black head and neck with white “chinstrap” distinguish the Canada Goose from all other goose species, with the exception of the Barnacle Goose, but the latter has a black breast, and also grey, rather than brownish, body plumage. There are seven subspecies of this bird, of varying sizes and plumage details, but all are recognizable as Canada Geese. Some of the smaller races can be hard to distinguish from the newly-separated Cackling Goose.

This species is 76-110 cm (30-43 in) long with a 127-180 cm (50-71 in) wingspan. The male usually weighs 3.2–6.5 kg, (7–14 pounds), and can be very aggressive in defending territory. The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter at 2.5–5.5 kg (5.5–12 pounds), generally 10% smaller than its male counterpart, and has a different honk. An exceptionally large male of the race B. c. maxima, the “giant Canada goose” (which rarely exceed 8 kg/18 lb), weighed 10.9 kg (24 pounds) and had a wingspan of 2.24 m (88 inches). This specimen is the largest wild goose ever recorded of any species. The life span in the wild is 10–24 years.

source: In English wiki In Norwegian wiki In Swedish wiki

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EXIF: Sigma 150 mm f/4,5 1/500 ISO-220

This is a repost of my first 4 pictures I did post on this blog a year ago when I started it all. All these pictures is taken on the beach, 350 meters from our house.

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EXIF: Sigma 135 mm f/9 1/160 ISO-200

The Greylag is a large goose, 74–84 cm (29–33 in) long with a 149–168 cm (59–66 in) wingspan and a body weight of 2.3–5.5 kg (5–12 lbs). It has a large head and almost triangular bill. The legs are pink, and the bird is easily identified in flight by the pale leading edge to the wing. It has a loud cackling call, kiYAAA-ga-ga, like the domestic goose.

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EXIF: Sigma 195 mm f/5 1/500 ISO-220

The western European nominate subspecies, A. a. anser, has an orange-pink bill and is slightly smaller and darker than the pink-billed Asian race, A. a. rubrirostris. Eastern European birds are often intermediate in appearance.

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EXIF: Sigma 270 mm f/5,6 1/250 ISO-200

In Norway, the number of greylag geese is estimated to have increased three- to fivefold during the last 15-20 years. As a consequence, farmers’ problems caused by goose grazing on farmland has increased considerably. This problem is also evident for the pink-footed goose.

source: In English wiki In Norwegian wiki

This is from the beach about 350 meters from our house.

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EXIF: Sigma 110 mm f/4,2 1/400 ISO-200