Sighting of rare Bar Headed Goose causes a flap at Highbridge park

Published: November 8, 2007
Sighting of rare Bar Headed Goose causes a flap at Highbridge park

The Bar Headed Goose at Highbridge's Apex Park

A rare goose is causing a flap among local bird watchers after being spotted at Highbridge's Apex Wildlife Park this week.

The Bar Headed Goose, pictured here, was spotted by Highbridge man Steve Perks, who sent Burnham-On-Sea.com these photos.

The Bar Headed Goose at Highbridge's Apex Park He said: "I was walking my dog in the park when I spotted what appeared to be a very unusual bird."

"I took several photos of it, and got them checked out by a local expert who confirmed it was in fact a rare Bar Headed Goose."

"These birds are generally only seen in Asia, so it's either flown wildly off course during migration or possibly escaped from a local collection. It's a remarkable bird," he added.

The Bar Headed Goose gets its name from the two distinctive bars of brownish-black coloured feathers that wrap around the back of its head.

In the wild, bar-headed geese breed in Central Asia (Southeast Russia, Northern India and Western China) and migrate over the Himalayas to spend winter in India and northern Burma.

It's not the first time that a rare bird has been spotted at Apex. Last February, we reported how a Carolina Wood Duck had been seen there.