Record breaking 45,800 pink-footed geese arrive at Lancashire reserve
A record number of 45,800 migratory pink-footed geese has arrived at Lancashire’s WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre according to counts earlier today. This beats the previous record number of 36,000 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 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 at WWT Wetland Centres:
- Experience the thrill of an early morning hide visit with a warden at Martin Mere as thousands of Pink-footed geese arrive.
- Watch a wild swan feed from the heated observatory at Welney and witness thousands of Whooper swans flying in nightly.
- Watch the wardens feed the returning Bewick’s swans at Slimbridge, each of whom is named and individually 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 – you’ll get closer than anywhere else in Britain!
- See almost the entire population of Light-bellied Brent geese feeding on Strangford Lough by Castle Espie.
- Drop into a ‘guide in a hide’ event at Llanelli and see teal, widgeon, pintail and oystercatchers , and if you’re lucky a great white egret - one of only 3 or 4 places in the UK where you can see them.
- Chat to a ‘guide in the hide’ at Arundel and share their scopes and knowledge. If you’re lucky you might spot the flash of blue as a kingfisher flies, as sightings increase in autumn.
- Learn about the migration of bats, eels, butterflies and even spiders on London’s self guided ‘Incredible Journey trails' and if you’re lucky spot the quirky territorial behaviour of bitterns, as anything up to 6 arrive at London.
- Walk with a warden at Washington and take in the sights, sounds and seasonal wildlife. You’ll also see over a thousand curlew roosting on Wader Lake!
