Record breaking 45,800 Pink-footed geese arrive at Lancashire reserve

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A record number - 45,800 - migratory pink-footed geese has arrived at Lancashire’s WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre according to latest counts. This smashes the previous record total of 36,000 birds in 2010.

Over the next couple of weeks, numbers will steadily increase as more of these birds make the 500 mile journey from Iceland to spend the start of winter in Lancashire. The geese will ultimately spend the winter in the south after using the North West as a service station to rest and re-fuel for up to three weeks before continuing on their journey. 

WWT Martin Mere Reserve Manager, Tom Clare, said: “This has been one of my most memorable moments at Martin Mere – as I looked out this morning, the two marshes were completely covered in geese. I waited to see them take off which is one of the greatest sights in nature. October is one of the best times of the year to visit WWT Martin Mere as it is amazing to see the geese fly in to roost during the afternoon.”

The arrival of the pink-footed geese is just one of the incredible journeys that signals the start of migration season. The UK provides the perfect sheltered conditions for birds to find a winter sanctuary, so over the next few months, Wetland Centres like WWT Martin Mere will become ‘avian airports’, welcoming tens of thousands of migratory birds, mainly from The Arctic. At the same time, birds that arrived in spring to raise their young are heading south to overwinter in insect-rich Africa.

Visitors who are interested in such spectacles can get close to the action and see some of the birds that have made this incredible journey with a range of encounters, wild bird feeds and walks and talks being put on at various WWT Wetland Centres this autumn:

  • Experience the thrill of an early morning hide visit with a warden at Martin Mere (link here) as thousands of pink-footed geese fly overhead.
  • Watch a wild swan feed from the heated observatory at Welney (link here) and see thousands of Whooper swans flying in nightly.
  • Watch the wardens feed the  returning Bewick’s swans at Slimbridge (link here), each named and recognised by their own unique bill pattern.
  • Watch thousands of barnacle geese and see wild whooper swans being fed from the accessible observatory at Caerlaverock (link here)
  • See almost the whole population of Light-bellied Brent geese feeding on Strangford Lough by Castle Espie (link here)
  • Drop into a ‘guide in a hide’ event at Llanelli (Oct events / Nov events )  and see teal, widgeon, pintail  and oystercatchers - and if you’re lucky a great white egret.
  • Chat to a ‘guide in the hide’ at Arundel and share their scopes and knowledge (link here). If you’re lucky you might spot a kingfisher!
  • Learn about the migration of bats, eels, butterflies and even spiders at London (link here) and if you’re lucky spot the quirky territorial behaviour of bitterns.
  • Walk with a warden at Washington (Oct event / Nov event) and take in the sights, sounds and seasonal wildlife and see thousands of curlew.

www.wwt.org.uk
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