Birdwatchers with the Audubon Society have reported spotting an Arctic Tundra native roosting in and about Bermuda.

Stephen and Beverley Barton first reported seeing what they thought was a Ross's Goose on Gibbet Island in the mouth of Flatts Inlet on October 26.

Then yesterday David Wallace, another Audubon member, confirmed the sighting when he discovered the bird on Belmont golf course. The tiny white goose has black wingtips and is a miniature version of the Snow Goose, three of which were reported last weekend in Bermuda.

Andrew Dobson, the President of the Bermuda Audubon Society, said the Ross's Goose, which breeds in the Arctic is becoming a more common sight further east of its wintertime base in California.

He said: "Last year the Bahamas recorded their first Ross's Goose. This species grazes on grass and may well spend the winter on the golf course in the company of other wildfowl.

"This species is not currently threatened. Its population is relatively small, but increasing significantly."