Where have all these Canada Geese come from?

[werdnal]

Went to Par Beach Nature reserve today (south Cornwall coast), and surprised to find a huge number of Canada Geese have suddenly arrived. There are usually loads here in the winter, and went we last visited a few weeks ago, there were just a couple hanging around. Today its literally full of them. Where have they come from and why so early to arrive this year?

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by werdnal

Went to Par Beach Nature reserve today (south Cornwall coast), and surprised to find a huge number of Canada Geese have suddenly arrived. There are usually loads here in the winter, and went we last visited a few weeks ago, there were just a couple hanging around. Today its literally full of them. Where have they come from and why so early to arrive this year?

Apart from moult migrations undertaken by some populations, Canada geese aren't migratory in the UK. At the moment many Canadas are feeding on stubble fields during the day so your birds may have been disturbed, or possibly flighting in to roost if you were there during the late afternoon and there is a substantial body of fresh water at the reserve.

Cheers
Jonathan

[davecatt]

Hi werdnal. As you obviously know, a large number of Canada geese come down the west coast every year to your area. I cant help wondering if the construction of a large wind farm just off the Solway Firth has affected their migration and caused them to carry on further south than they normally would do at this time of year. They allways follow the coast line and the Solway is a site where they would normally stop off on their way south.

Dave

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by davecatt

As you obviously know, a large number of Canada geese come down the west coast every year to your area.

Where have these Canada geese migrated from Dave?

Cheers
Jonathan

[Kittiwake]

I had a couple of noisy "squadrons" go over yesterday just before dusk. They were flying North West.

Funnily enough, a large number flew over the day before and they were going in the exact opposite direction.

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by Kittiwake

I had a couple of noisy "squadrons" go over yesterday just before dusk. They were flying North West.

Funnily enough, a large number flew over the day before and they were going in the exact opposite direction.

Hi Kittiwake,

You're almost certainly seeing feral Canada or greylag geese, flying between feeding grounds and their roost. Migrant geese are only just begining to arrive in the UK - typically in my area the first pinkfeet arrive around the third week in September. Wild greylags do migrate to the UK in winter but the only genuinely wild Canada geese seen on these shores are vagrants from the US and Canada.

Cheers
Jonathan

[nightshade]

We were in Devon last week in the tin tent, regular vic's of Canadas up to 42 in strength flew west in the morning and reversed flying south in the evenings

[SamR]

Canada

[Martin1]

I have been down at st Annes on sea to day and have seen a huge number of geese flying south must have been 2,3,4 thousand i have never seen this before it was amazing made my day.I am guessing candian geese !

Martin

[aeshna5]

With that numer I suspect from the location they were quite likely to be Pinkfeet as large numbers winter in Lancs, especially at places like Martin Mere.