Guide to Geese, Part One

Guide to Geese, Part One

Around about this time of year you might see, or hear, Skeins of geese flying overhead, as they head back north to their summer breeding grounds. In this two-part series of articles we look at how to identify some of these species, including the migrant species which call these isles home through the winter months, and those which stay here all year round.

Canada Geese, Branta canadensis

Canada Geese, as their name implies, originally come from Canada and established themselves in the British isles after escaping from a waterfowl collection at St James Park in London in the mid-17th century.

They now thrive in the wild and have bred so well in some areas that they are considered a pest, out-competing native species and polluting watercourses and ponds, they are beautiful but can be belligerent towards other species of waterfowl, chasing them away, especially in the breeding season.

Identification

They are a large goose, with a black neck and head, and a broad white cheek-band running from the throat up to the back of the eye, their body is brown and they have a pale coloured breast. Their call is fairly distinguishable from that of other geese, being a loud, nasal two-syllabled ‘ah-honk’.

They graze on grass, stubble and sometimes crops usually by the side of water but sometimes quite far away from it and prefer to nest near to water, in places that are quiet, hidden and free from disturbance.

During winter they will stay close to these breeding areas.

White-fronted Geese, Anser albifrons

There are two subspecies of White-fronts that visit the British isles from about October to April; one, called the ‘Greenland race’, Anser albifrons flavirostris, which has an orange coloured bill, breeds on the coast of west Greenland and overwinters in Ireland and the west coast of Scotland.

The other, called the ‘Siberian race’ Anser albifrons albifrons, which has a pink bill, breeds in Siberia and winters in the South of England.

Both races, in particular the Greenland, are under threat in some areas from the much larger Canada goose.

Identification

This goose is medium-sized and has orange legs, a long bill with a prominent blaze of colour around the base which is pink or orange depending on subspecies, and a high-pitched, almost musical two-syllabled (disyllabic) call which can be heard from quite a distance away and isn’t quite as nasal as that of other geese.

They graze on a wide variety of plants, eating the shoots, leaves and roots of grasses, clovers, winter wheat, potatoes and other crops, which can make them a bit of a nuisance for farmers, they will also forage on peat bogs, dune grassland and salt marshes.

These terrain types are closer in nature to those of their breeding territories on the tundra of Greenland and Siberia, which are both changing very rapidly at the moment, possibly due to climate change.

Brent Geese, Branta bernicla hrota

The Brent Goose is a winter visitor from the high Arctic plains, flying all the way to the British isles from Canada to be here from around October to April.

They mostly visit Ireland although smaller populations can be found in other parts of the British isles including Lindisfarne, Norfolk, the Thames estuary, Chichester harbour and the Wash.

Identification

They are small, dark-coloured geese, a little bit bigger than a Mallard, being dark all over except for pale underparts, whitish flanks and a small white crescent near the top of their neck which is only really visible at close range, their voice is a harsh sounding ‘rut-rut’.

This goose is a bit more particular in what it eats, preferring eel-grass, which grows in muddy estuaries, they will occasionally graze on coastal grasslands too.

They breed in loose colonies on the tundra where there are plenty of pools of water.

In part two

In part two we’ll look at Barnacle, Greylag and Pink-footed geese

I once said ‘Boo’ to a goose,
And the bird it cried ‘Boo’ back.
You may think you’re always ready,
But you’re never prepared for that.

Boo to a goose, By Brian Eatherton

A B-H