Tundra Bean Goose

A local rarity with three records this century:

2006 – four adults with nine juveniles at BL on October 18th and again on 20th

2011, three individuals – two at Cl-Y on November 17th, Weston STW from December 10th until 18th

2020 – 11 at OPS on December 5th and 10th until 12th

There are also two twentieth century records:

1993 – Yeo Estuary on December 5th and 6th, considered to be rossicus ( see note 1 below) (1996 ABR)

1996 – one at BL on January 27th relocated to CVL the next day and remained until March 21st having visited BL a few times

Bean Goose sp  Anser sp 

There are a couple of earlier records which were not assigned to race 

1879 – two shot out of seven, Nailsea on November 2nd (1990 ABR)

1958 – one with Whitefronts in fields at north end of CVL on January 26th with two on February 2nd, 8th and 9th 

Wheeler (1874) listed the species as ‘occasional, Avonmouth’ whilst Charbonnier (1899) says it ‘occurs on the Severn coast in winter’. However, Davis (1947) said that ‘most records in former years doubtful owing to confusion with Pink-foot’ 

In addition, one at CVL from May 16th until early June 1987 and another at BG on March 22nd and CVL from 25th until 11th August, 1990, were treated as escapes 

1 Before the Bean geese were split into two species the tundra race was ssp rossicus