Pink-footed geese in the snow

This winter there have been a lot of geese wintering in Norway. The origins of these are uncertain, and are obscured by the fact that various goose populations winter in discrete areas. As an example, there are two populations of Pink-footed Geese Anser brachyrhynchus (N=kortnebbgås), one breeding in Svalbard whereas the other breeds in Iceland / Greenland. The Svalbard population migrates southwards each autumn via Norway to wintering grounds in The Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, whereas the Iceland / Greenland population winters in the United Kingdom. This winter has seen unprecedented numbers of wintering geese in Norway, involving several species and discrete populations and races. Those Pink-footed Geese observed this winter are equally likely to have come from either the Svalbard population or the one in Iceland / Greenland. Whatever their origins, a flock of up to 31 Pink-feet have been observed at various locations around the inner parts of the Trondheimsfjord in recent weeks. On Saturday, 19th February, I photographed a flock of 29 birds at Torp, Malvik. These were first observed in the same general area a few days previously, and are almost certainly the same flock seen around the fjord, although two of the original flock of 31 have "disappeared".