A Barnacle Goose attempting to migrate from Svalbard to Scotland’s Solway Firth is found in Spain.
It is believed the bird became disoriented by Storm St Jude and got knocked 900 miles off course. Emilio Martinez and Antonio Gutierrez found the bird near Viga, northern Spain.
The location is the furthest south the species, known as Branta leucopsis, has been found. It means this bird travelled nearly 2,900 miles.
Dumfries’ Wildlife and Wetlands Trust has monitored the goose known as Orange CBZ for the last six years.
They feared the bird may not have survived when he failed to arrive in Scotland, but were pleasantly surprised to learn his destination.
“Barnacle Geese have a tough life facing extreme weather and food scarcity so we had started to assume this one hadn't made it. To find out he's actually made a record journey south and been sunning himself in Spain is amazing”, Dr Larry Griffin told the BBC.
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