Greenland white-fronted geese lifting out of a field on The Oa reserve today. Overshadowed by the Barnacle goose in terms of numbers (on Islay, certainly), it is this species that is probably of greater conservation concern at the minute, with numbers showing a steady downward trend in contrast to the increasing numbers of Barnacle geese. Islay is an important wintering site for this species, with SNH figures showing that up to two thirds of the Scottish population are to be found here.