Where are all the geese? (1 Viewer)

[jmmorton]

Just spent the weekend in North Norfolk and purposely ended Saturday at Holkham hoping to see the spectacular gathering of geese we have experienced in previous years. Two years ago, the sky was black with close to 100,000 pink-footed geese coming in to roost, in what I believe was a record year.

However, we had very few geese at all this year which got me wondering where they all were. I think the fact that we haven't really had a cold spell yet means many may have not made the journey to their final over-wintering grounds yet. I understand that some days might also be tide dependant and birds roost on the marshes etc.

Anyone got any other suggestions?

Thanks


Jonno

 

[Nutcracker]

Yep, there's still plenty of Pinkfeet up in Scotland. They'll head south if/when it gets cold.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Still very mild weather in the east of Scotland. A few weeks ago the record count of Pink-feet for Montrose Basin was made- over 85,000:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-34570479

 

[West End Birder]

They'd better move by 10 Dec

 

[Mike Crawley]

One would guess that it's mild where ever they are at the moment, therefore they don't need to move just yet

 

[Nutcracker]

One would guess that it's mild where ever they are at the moment, therefore they don't need to move just yet

Not just mild, but ridiculously warm (17° last night and all day today), here in NE England; likely about the same in Montrose, given the overall weather pattern at the moment.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Broke the UK overnight temperature record for November with 16 last night.

Strange that a Bewick's Swan broke the record this year at Slimbridge for the earliest arrival ever but they are coming from further North.

Andy

 

[Mike Crawley]

Not just mild, but ridiculously warm (17° last night and all day today), here in NE England; likely about the same in Montrose, given the overall weather pattern at the moment.

I was thinking of Iceland, Svalbard, Spirsbergen, et al rather than the UK

 

[Nutcracker]

I was thinking of Iceland, Svalbard, Spirsbergen, et al rather than the UK

Andrew had said they were all at Montrose

 

[Egret]

Just spent the weekend in North Norfolk and purposely ended Saturday at Holkham hoping to see the spectacular gathering of geese we have experienced in previous years. Two years ago, the sky was black with close to 100,000 pink-footed geese coming in to roost, in what I believe was a record year.

However, we had very few geese at all this year which got me wondering where they all were. I think the fact that we haven't really had a cold spell yet means many may have not made the journey to their final over-wintering grounds yet. I understand that some days might also be tide dependant and birds roost on the marshes etc.

Anyone got any other suggestions?

Thanks


Jonno

Plenty of geese about when I was there a couple of weeks ago. Maybe just a bit more spread out?

 

[Edward]

I was thinking of Iceland, Svalbard, Spirsbergen, et al rather than the UK

It's been pretty mild in Iceland too but I suspect that virtually all Pink-footed Geese are long gone from Iceland now - but there will be a few stragglers remaining. I can guarantee that they have long since left their breeding grounds in Greenland. In the area I saw them in NE Greenland this summer, temperatures were down to the mid -30s in October.