Rare Breed

Canon 24 - 105 mm 1:4L

ISO 200  105mm  F/10  1/100 sec

ISO 200  105mm  F/10   1/100 sec

ISO 100   105mm   F/8.0   1/250 sec

The bird in the third picture today is an Eider Duck and I spotted him sitting enjoying a quiet moment in the shade of some tress near a small ornamental lake. He has really beautiful markings and the pattern on his back in some way reflects the dappled shadows on the ground int he background.

The bird in the first two images is a Scania Goose and it is a rare breed native to Sweden. It is a hardy breed derived from the Greylag Goose and is able to tolerate the climate in Southern Sweden throughout the year. It really is quite rare however with only 172 being registered in Sweden in 2011 (according to Wikipedia) and I don't know whether that number has increased or decreased since that time.

This particular specimen was part of a small flock in the Slottsskogen park in Gothenburg. Apparently these birds can get quite large, too heavy in fact to fly. I think they are quite a pretty bird and I particularly like to confident pose in the second picture.