As the seasons shift, the temperature starts to dip and the greens of summer are replaced by a palette of reds and oranges. Gone is the sound of spring songsters and the cheeping of young birds; the soundscape is replaced by something totally different, a true signal that times are changing.
At first, it’s soft and distant, rapidly growing louder and closer as a squadron of geese appear overhead in their characteristic V-formation: ‘Wink-wink, wink-wink’.
At this time of year, the coast of Lancashire is an attractive proposition for tens of thousands of Pink-footed Geese. Smaller and daintier than their feral cousins, Canada and Greylag Geese, these are truly wild birds. Every year tens of thousands of them spend the winter on the Lancashire coast.
Their journey to the Lancashire coast is one of nature’s great wonders.
As with other geese species, Whooper Swans, wading birds and ducks, Pink-footed Geese spend April to September much further north. Seeking refuge from the harsher northern winter and preferring our comparatively warmer climate, the entire population of Pink-footed Geese breeding in Iceland and Greenland migrate to the UK to spend the winter here. At this time of year, there are still plenty of leaves, berries and seeds and they will also make use of the remains of crops such as potatoes, beets and cereals.
Bird migration is focused on the availability of food and suitable habitats. The far northern winter is too harsh to provide sustenance, so the goose flock must travel to places they know to have what they need.
RSPB Marshside and Hesketh out Marsh, and the wider Ribble National Nature Reserve which hugs the Lancashire and Sefton coast, proves to be just the ticket. With the abundance of wet grassland and farmland, plus the safety of the mudflats, there’s everything they need.
Pink-footed Geese, as with all geese and swans, are long-lived birds, the eldest is known to be over 38 years old. Their knowledge of places stays with them and is passed down through generations – the geese arriving on our shores this autumn will have ancestors who did the same decades or maybe even centuries ago!
A skein will consist of whole families and other nearby birds who have bred in a similar area. The young birds making this epic journey of up to 2000 miles to the Lancashire coast for the first time will be just a few months old. They stay together with their parents until the following spring when they begin to head back to Iceland or Greenland.
After hatching, the young goslings are cared for by both their parents and are guided straight to a body of water where they are better protected from predators. They are ‘precocial’ young, which is common in water and wading birds, meaning they are able to independently walk, swim and feed almost immediately after hatching. Growing flight feathers takes more time though and this flightless period is when they are at their most vulnerable.
Just before embarking on the long journey from these northern breeding grounds with their young progeny, the adult geese will moult their feathers in preparation, replacing old and worn flight feathers with an entirely new set. Both old and young need to be in prime condition for the long journey ahead.
The geese leaving Greenland will probably stop off in Iceland en-route. However, once the birds leave Iceland, if conditions are favourable, they may well fly non-stop to their over-wintering grounds, making a stop off in Scotland only if absolutely necessary. Thousands of geese will continue their journey further south than Lancashire, with large numbers also heading to Norfolk, another vital wetland habitat.
For those in the coastal towns of Lancashire who are tuned in to the sounds of the Pink-footed Geese, they become a natural timepiece akin to arcadian rhythm, rising in the morning as the geese head to their feeding sites and knowing a day’s work is done on hearing them return to roosting sites.
The sound of their distinctive call remains with us for six months until they head off for another season.
Pink-footed Geese are not the only birds to make their way here for a warmer winter climate. Many waders such as Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin and Redshank and ducks such as Wigeon and Teal who have also bred in more northern realms, join them.
RSPB Marshside and RSPB Leighton Moss are crucial for these birds, providing vital feeding and roosting habitats, allowing the birds to comfortably spend the winter. For more information about visiting RSPB Marshside and RSPB Leighton Moss, go to rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/marshside or rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/leighton-moss.
Why do birds fly in a V formation?
Geese, and other large groups of migrating birds, fly in an energy-efficient V formation. It has also recently been discovered that the birds almost literally follow one another’s wing beats: the goose in front creates a blueprint for the flight.
Much like a child stepping in the snowy footprints of their parent, the goose behind flaps in the same place as the goose in front. This harnesses the movement of the air rather than allowing it to become a wave which would knock them off kilter.
The leader changes frequently, with many birds taking their turn to lead throughout a flight, so no one bird works harder than the rest.
Young geese learn the migration route and landmarks by following their parents and other experienced geese. They use landmarks such as rivers and coastlines and may also use celestial cues such as the sun and stars. Geese also have a physical compass in their head that allows them to tell north and south by detecting the earth’s magnetic field.
Geese can fly at over 30 miles per hour – using powerful wing beats which takes a lot of energy. They fly by day or night, depending on weather conditions and, to reduce the effort, they will fly when the air is calmer, or when there’s a helpful tailwind and they’ll avoid flying into headwinds that would blow them backwards.
Migrating waders and ducks to look for in autumn.
* Jo Taylor was the RSPB’s Learning and Visitor Experience Officer at Fairhaven Lake and is now a communications officer for the charity. For more wildlife facts and information about migration, go to rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife.
