My Sunday walk once again took me to the Bean Geese. A few very focused observers stood by the water. Something seemed unusual swimming on the lake. And so it was: Among the geese was a somewhat smaller goose with a pink beak and white forehead—a Greater White-fronted Goose, I thought. But it was smaller than that and, above all, it had a characteristic golden eye ring that the Greater White-fronted Goose does not have. One of the observers had the answer: It was a specimen of the extremely rare Lesser White-fronted Goose.
The population of this goose has declined dramatically in recent decades due to ruthless hunting in its wintering grounds (Russia, Kazakhstan, Southern and Eastern Europe). Despite extensive conservation projects in several countries, the number of Lesser White-fronted Geese continues to decline, and it is to be feared that it will soon cease to delight us with its sight. And so the joy of the discovery is immediately mixed with the sadness of the losses caused by humans.