Local birdwatchers have been flocking to Central Saanich to get a glimpse of a type of goose an expert says has only been seen once before on the west coast of North America.
Ann Nightingale is a birder, and past president of the Victoria Natural History Society. She says two pink-footed geese have been seen around the Martindale Valley area of Central Saanich since January 18.
"They are way, way, way off course. They normally are (seen in) Iceland, Greenland, Denmark, and the Scandinavian countries. They get into the UK for the winters, and Northern Europe, but we don't see them on the west coast of North America."
Nightingale says the birdwatching community is now debating over if the pair of pink-footed geese lost their way and migrated here, or if they're escaped pets whose owner was keeping them without a permit.