Have I gone from the sublime (yesterday’s Hen harrier) to the ridiculous (today’s Canada geese)? Maybe. But to me all birds are interesting so geese today it is!

With their constant honking conversation, I could hear these birds before I saw them, sitting, standing, arguing with their neighbours, walking about, feeding on excess seeds from the farmer’s recent planting.

A local birder recently reported 280 Canada geese on the lakes at Cosmeston, which is just a short distance as the goose flies from where these birds were resting at Lavernock, and by my reckoning there were over 200 in this field yesterday.

I have walked this way on two consecutive mornings this week and have seen the geese both times but, even as I watched them, I doubted that the farmer would let them stay much longer.

As I was leaving the area yesterday, I heard shooting, saw geese flying off in small groups and also saw large flocks of Woodpigeons and Jackdaws take to the air, so I assume the farmer is now actively chasing all potential seed-eaters off his fields.