Pink-footed Goose will have a tale to tell

It is amazing to see so many Pink-footed Geese out on the marsh. The numbers here today are significantly greater than I have seen on the site before and are more reminiscent of the North Norfolk coast. I am, instead, far inland, walking the marshes that border the River Yare not far from Norwich. Admittedly, the numbers of winter pink-feet on these marshes have increased over recent winters, so the presence of such a large flock should not be that unexpected.

As I have remarked before, the ‘grey’ geese can represent something of an identification challenge for the birdwatcher, testing skills on dull, late-winter afternoons. It doesn’t help that this particular site often holds several different goose species, individuals of which may mix together. This flock of pink-feet is straightforward enough though. With the sun behind me, and the advantage of a flood bank from which to scan, I steadily work my way through the flock, tally counter clicking away in my hand as the numbers steadily increase.

There is one particular individual that catches my attention, however, because it is sporting a silver-grey neck collar on which are written three large letters. This is a bird that has been caught by researchers, either somewhere within Britain or elsewhere in Europe, perhaps even in Iceland. While the use of these neck collars does not do the birds any harm, it is carefully regulated, remaining a tool for those studying the movements of these birds between different sites, or indeed different countries. I know that I will be able to send this record off and, by doing so, add another piece of the jigsaw to help researchers understand which wintering sites are important to which breeding populations. If we are to protect and conserve these geese then we need to know as much as possible about where they go and when.

Britain is a particularly important wintering destination for these geese, with virtually the entire Icelandic breeding population, and most of the east Greenland population, spending the winter here. While many favour coastal saltmarshes, many more now move onto arable land, where they can feed on sugar beet, waste potatoes and barley stubble. The switch to these new food sources highlights the adaptable nature of these geese, something that can also be seen in their wintering strategy. Individual birds have large feeding ranges but still have a favoured core area within this. The geese will move between sites, especially as the winter progresses and they disperse away from the places at which they initially staged upon arrival. This approach means that they can respond to local food availability and, by doing so, presumably increase their chances of getting through the winter in good condition.

Grey geese harbour a vagrant

With the exception of the chunky Greylag Goose, our wintering grey geese can prove something of an identification challenge, especially when seen at a distance or in the dull light of a winter’s afternoon. While the Pink-footed Geese, whose skeins sometimes number hundreds of individuals, are perhaps the best known of these winter visitors, there are others that provide the real draw for many of the county’s birdwatchers.

White-fronted Geese arrive from distant breeding grounds that stretch across the Russian and Siberian tundra, with most wintering in North Norfolk, around the Broads or down into Suffolk. The numbers wintering in our region are small when compared to those wintering in the south-west of England, notably at Slimbridge, and much reduced compared to the peak numbers seen here during the 1940s. At that time, up to 4,000 of these birds could be found feeding on the marshes at Halvergate or roosting on sands at Scroby. Today, numbers are a more modest 500-600. White-fronted Geese also breed in Greenland and it is birds from this breeding population that winter in Scotland and Ireland. Only occasional individuals from the Greenland population reach East Anglia, most often appearing in the company of the large flocks of pink-foots that feed on the fields inland from the North Norfolk coast.

The Yare valley is home to visiting Bean Geese, a species rather similar in appearance to the more familiar Pink-footed Goose. Here, the marshes at Cantley and Buckenham have become reliable sites at which to see these birds, with 100-150 present most winters. Cantley seems to be the more favoured of the two marshes, with birds only spending more time at Buckenham if disturbance levels at Cantley increase.

Over the last few weeks there has been a rare Lesser White-fronted Goose in with the other geese at Cantley. This species breeds in the narrow boreal zone, dominated by birch and willow scrub, which stretches across northern Fennoscandia and Russia. The westernmost parts of this population have declined dramatically, reducing the chances of individuals reaching our shores for the winter. The eastern component of the breeding population winters on the coastal plains of the Black and Caspian Seas, east to China, and so is far less likely to reach us. The situation has been confused, however, by recent attempts to reintroduce the species into former Fennoscandian haunts. The reintroduction programme, which involves the colour ringing of young birds raised by foster parent Barnacle Geese, has seen an increase in the numbers of Lesser White-fronted Geese wintering in the Netherlands and it is quite possible that one of the consequences of this work is the occurrence of reintroduced birds (or their young) turning up here in the winter.

The great arrival

At first it seemed as if it was a thin strip of cloud, a blot on an otherwise clear horizon. Far out above the sea, but still visible to the naked eye, this grey smudge was stretched, elongated along the horizon like a fuzzy line left by a soft-leaded pencil. Over the course of next forty minutes the shape changed, its strength of colour dissipating as it drew nearer towards me. Through my binoculars I could now see individual outlines within the great mass, a great skein of geese nearing the end of their autumn migration and their arrival on our coastal grazing marshes.

The flock was no longer heading straight towards me but would make landfall to my west, a mile or so along the coast. I was too far from the car to be able to make it to where these geese would cross the coast, perhaps then heading inland to one of the many fields they would use over the winter months that lay ahead. The flock itself was composed of a number of separate skeins, each containing several dozen birds. These were pink-feet, visitors from breeding grounds in the wilds of Iceland and eastern Greenland.

It is a tremendous journey that these birds undertake and it is humbling to think that so many arrive to winter here in eastern England. The importance of the Wash and the North Norfolk coast is underlined by survey figures published by the British Trust for Ornithology. These show that some 60% of the UK’s wintering population of Pink-footed Geese spend the winter along this bit of coast. Other concentrations can be found wintering in Scotland and Lancashire.

While I have missed the landfall of these particular birds, there will be other mornings on the coast when the geese will be seen. Later into the winter these will be birds not arriving, but moving between overnight roost sites and feeding areas inland. Then there will be the spectacle of a field of geese, hundreds strong, feeding on beet tops and waste potatoes. These grand flocks of pink-feet sometimes hold other geese, scarce visitors like Tundra Bean Goose, Greenland White-fronted Goose or Snow Goose. These days it is becoming increasingly difficult to know whether some of these birds (notably the Snow Geese) are genuine vagrants or part of an expanding feral population. Even if individuals are seen to arrive with the pink-foots, they may have joined them on some Scottish staging area.

There are some wildlife spectacles that are both a ‘must see’ and accessible. The sight of a large flock of pink-feet is certainly one of these. Make a trip to the coast one weekend soon and experience it for yourself.

The first geese

The first of the winter’s geese are here and the morning sky echoes with their calls, as long skeins move between overnight roosts and daytime feeding grounds. These are Pink-footed Geese, newly arrived from breeding areas in Iceland and eastern Greenland, and their numbers will continue to grow over the coming weeks. Virtually the whole of the Icelandic and Greenland breeding populations winter in the UK, some 250,000 or so birds and representing at least 85% of the World population. The only other breeding population can be found on Svalbard and individuals from there winter in The Netherlands and, increasingly, Belgium.

These Pink-footed Geese will have arrived in Scotland several weeks ago, the arrival there continuing through into the middle of October, before most filter south through staging areas to favoured wintering grounds. The bulk of the population winters either in Lancashire or East Anglia, and Norfolk itself is a very important county for this winter migrant. The latest WeBS report, published by the British Trust for Ornithology, shows that the Wash and the North Norfolk coast currently supports some 59% of the UK wintering population.

The geese are attracted by the combination of undisturbed roosting sites and daytime feeding areas. Initially, the geese wintered and fed on saltmarsh, feeding on grasses and herbs on the short saltmarsh sward. More recently the birds have taken advantage of the food available on areas of arable land and pasture, with sugar beet tops and waste potatoes a favoured food. Such choice does bring a small amount of conflict with landowners if the geese move from the harvested beet fields to feed on growing crops elsewhere. This can happen if the geese suffer high levels of disturbance when feeding on the beet, so landowners often grow the sugar beet away from footpaths and busy roads; this benefits both the landowner and the geese, which may go some way to explaining why the population has increased over recent years.

To me, it is the movement of pink-feet between roosting and feeding sites that is the most evocative part of the Norfolk winter. To hear an approaching flight of geese, which first appear as a distant smudge on the skyline but which turns into distinct skeins as they approach, is truly magical. Equally magical is the sight of a huge flock, many hundreds strong, feeding across one of the larger coastal fields. To scan across these with a pair of binoculars reveals an army of individuals all feeding on the waste tops of beet. In some ways it is a shame that they are only here for part of the year but I suppose that if they were here all year round then their magical charm would become commonplace.

The winter geese arrive

The first of the winter’s geese have arrived, the end of a journey that has brought them south from breeding grounds in eastern Greenland and Iceland. These are the pink-footed geese, harbingers of the approaching winter, and a welcome addition to the soundscape of bleak November and December days. They are our very own spectacle, vast flocks that fill the early morning sky as they set out from overnight roost sites to feeding grounds scattered along the North Norfolk coast. Changes in hunting pressure and wintering grounds have led to an eight-fold increase in the numbers wintering here since 1950 and there are now some 250,000 using Britain between September and the end of April. This represents over 85% of the total world population, making Britain an incredibly important place for these birds.

Historically, the pink-feet would have wintered on saltmarsh, feeding on the mixed grass and short herb swards, but over the last century there has been an increasing tendency to feed on arable land, particularly on sugar beet, waste potatoes and barley stubble. Such opportunities last through into February, when the fields are ploughed, and then the geese move on to utilise pasture. Their numbers are monitored through the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS), coordinated by researchers based at the British Trust for Ornithology. Vast flocks can be difficult to count and an expert eye is needed to work out the numbers of birds present.

Other geese species may be seen feeding alongside the pink-feet, including rare visitors from further afield. The breeding grounds used by the pink-feet overlap with those of other species and, on occasion, birds may migrate with the wrong group, ending up many thousands of miles from where they should have spent the winter. This year, for example, a snow goose, which normally breeds from Arctic North America to north-west Greenland and winters south to Mexico, was tracked down the east coast, arriving with the pink-feet in Norfolk at the end of September. This may well be a genuine vagrant but there is also the possibility that the bird belongs to the small feral population that has arisen due to individuals escaping from private collections here in Britain. That genuine snow geese do reach Europe has been demonstrated by bird ringing, with an individual ringed in Manitoba turning up in the Netherlands three years later. Another unusual visitor to Norfolk has been the lesser Canada goose, one of which spent the 2005/06 winter in the company of pink-footed geese at Holkham. This species breeds in northeast Canada and is noticeably smaller than the naturalised British Canada geese. While these vagrants excite twitchers it is the scale of the pink-feet flocks that enthral more casual birdwatchers.