Matt Shanks: Small adventures in words and pictures
menu

The greylag goose

The ‘lag’ that gives this beautiful bird its namesake is believed to have come from its habit of being one of the last to migrate. A bird that lags behind other birds must do it for some reason. They’re either a bit silly or super-smart; I like to think it’s the latter.

Artist notes: In my travels around Scotland, these birds made an appearance in almost every place I stayed. Most of the Scots think they're pests; the most adorable pest I'd ever seen anyway.