Geese Returning?

Question

A very large skein of geese flew over us in the wee hours of this morning........surely this is not the greylags or pinkfooted geese returning for winter already, its only mid August?
They were flying south of Inverness towards Loch Ruthven direction. Anyone know if this is likely or are they UK residents?

Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

Thank you very much for taking the time with such an informative reply Darren. It certainly added to my education on the movements of Canada Geese which I was previously unaware of. A neighbour apparently saw the Geese and yes........they were Canada Geese. Best wishes Liz

Darren Oakley-Martin · Answer

Hello Elizabeth, 
 Sorry it has taken so long to answer your query. 
 It is a little early for the autumn return of our truly wild geese such as the migratory barnacle and greylag geese, but could they perhaps have been naturalised Canada geese, which are resident year round in Britain? 
 Canada geese are native to North America and were introduced into St James's Park in London in 1665. They have steadily increased in number and can now be found at almost all suitable waterbodies. 
 In North America, many Canada geese undertake a northerly moult migration after the breeding season. This instinct is retained by some of our own naturalised population, who undertake a similar movement to the Beauly Firth in north eastern Scotland, especially those that bred in the West Midlands and Yorkshire. 
 When moulting, they become flightless, so the loch offers them safety from predators. The area around Beauly Firth is also exceptionally fertile, so the geese also enjoy excellent grazing opportunites. 
 Canada geese are usually very vocal, so can be identified by their calls. You can listen to a recording of this distinctive nasal call on our website here . 
 Best wishes, 
 Darren

Dominic Funnell · Answer

We have carried out a full goose roost count this morning and there were a minimum of 60626 pink footed geese leaving the roost. This is the fourth highest count ever from the reserve. I wonder how many more are left to come!