Pink-footed Geese - Fylde Bird Club

The Fylde is an important wintering ground for Pink-footed Geese. For many years the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust has co-ordinated a colour-marking study whereby uniquely coded grey neck-collars and leg-rings are fitted to Pink-footed Geese at their Icelandic breeding sites or British wintering grounds. The WWT welcome all records of neck-collars and leg-rings which have been read. Some birds have been wearing their codes for several years and have been recorded many times at various locations in the Britain and Iceland during that time, a reply will be provided detailing previous sightings of the birds concerned.

Watching Pink-footed Geese in the Fylde

Pink-footed Geese arrive in Lancashire from mid-September and peak numbers occur in November. Most of the early birds move straight over the Fylde to south-west Lancashire. Until recently birdwatchers did not look for geese in the Fylde until the New Year, but changes in agricultural practice, and the opportunistic feeding habits of the geese, have led to changes in their distribution.

Once-favoured areas around Out Rawcliffe have been abandoned in favour of fields around the Wyre Estuary. The area between Rossall School and Fleetwood Road often attracts several thousand birds from November onwards. The birds can be viewed from laybys on Amounderness Way or Rossall Lane, and the tram shelter on Rossall Road. Over Wyre, the birds use fields between Hambleton and Stalmine but can be difficult to view from the limited vantage points. Birds feeding in these areas often roost in the Wyre Estuary between Arm Hill and Stanah.

Regularly-used sites on the Over Wyre plain include the Eagland Hill area where they can be viewed from Bone Hill Lane, Bradshaw Lane or by the telephone box in Eagland Hill. The birds can be difficult to see at long range from the road.

Other sites include the fields off Head Dyke Lane between Stalmine and Pilling, here too the birds can be at long range or viewed against the light. The area between Horse Park Lane and Cockerham Moss Edge, particularly after potato harvest, can attract flocks of birds. Please park carefully when viewing these fields.

The reclaimed marshes along the coast road between Fluke Hall and Cockerham are used by birds if sheep have been grazing the fields producing the short turf favoured by the birds.

Slightly further north, the fields west of the Cockerham-Lancaster road attract varying numbers of birds that can be viewed from the roads to Bank End or Cockersand.

As mentioned earlier, the opportunistic behaviour of the birds means they can be found on suitable feeding areas anywhere. In recent years birds have been seen at Great Eccleston, Staining, Weeton and Lytham Moss.

An easy way to see the birds is to watch for dawn and dusk roost flights from Pilling Marsh over Lane Ends Amenity Area car park. In favourable conditions, clear weather and no wind, the flocks fly directly over the car park providing a fine spectacle.

In most winters the flocks of Pinkfeet attract small numbers of other geese species, small numbers of Barnacle, Eurasian and Greenland White-fronted, Pale-bellied and Dark-bellied Brent and the occasional Tundra Bean Goose. Single vagrant Todd’s Canada Goose, Lesser Snow Goose and a Ross’s Goose have also accompanied the flocks in recent winters. Spotting these rarer species can be difficult amongst the large flocks of Pink-footed Geese. Use you car as a mobile hide, search the lanes Over Wyre and enjoy your wild goose chase!

The latest sightings of rare and scarce geese can be found on the sightings page.

Len Blacow

This message from Richard Hearn gives details of the information required regarding coded Pink-footed Geese:

Dear observer,

As a previous contributor to WWT of sightings of colour-marked grey geese, I am writing to you now to firstly update you on developments with these projects and, secondly, to remind you that sightings of these marked birds are still urgently sought this winter. Most areas should already have wintering geese by now and many of you have started to send in sightings, for which I am very grateful. As in 2000/01, I will only be able to send out a limited number of regular reports of observed birds. Therefore, it would be a great help to me if you would accept a single report on the marked birds you have observed at the end of the winter. Please let me know if you would be happy with this arrangement when you next send in sightings of marked birds. However, I know some of you pass details onto landowners, for example, and consequently need reports of the birds you have observed more regularly. If this is the case, please let me know and I will ensure that you receive them when they are needed.

Sightings can be sent in either by letter or, if you have access to the internet, by email. Electronic submissions are preferred, as they can save considerable inputting time. If you are able to send sightings in a spreadsheet or text file, I can send you the format of the WWT database, so that your data can be imported directly. However, the important thing to remember is that all sightings are required and gratefully received, no matter what format they come in.

Catches
For the first time since 1996, no marking of Pinkfeet or Greylags took place in Iceland this summer. However, plans to find funding for continued ringing are being developed and it is hoped that this will be able to take place from 2002. Catches of Greylag at Loch Eye have also been discontinued from this autumn. However, an excellent catch of 43 Pinkfeet was made in Aberdeenshire in November 2000 by Raymond Duncan, Rab Rae and other members of Grampian Ringing Group. It is hoped to expand the extent of winter catching in other areas to compensate for the loss of Loch Eye and the temporary lack of ringing in Iceland. In addition, a catch of 16 European White-fronted Geese was made at Slimbridge in February 2001. These birds are marked with black neck collars and matching black leg rings, engraved with a three character code. If you see any of these birds, please report whether a plastic leg ring was also present, although the code may be obtained via the collar. They form part of the project co-ordinated by Helmut Kruckenberg and since 1998/99, Helmut and his team have now marked more than 2,000 whitefronts in the Netherlands and Germany. More details on this project can be found here.

Observations
Almost 10,000 observations of Pinkfeet and Greylag were reported in the UK last winter. This is due to the tremendous efforts of all observers concerned and the information gathered will help considerably in our understanding of the population dynamics of these two species, which is vital for their effective conservation management. This winter, please continue to send sightings of Pinkfeet to myself and Greylags to Bob Swann (address below). All other wildfowl can be sent to Colour Marked Wildfowl at WWT Slimbridge. Bob Swann, 14 St Vincent Road, Tain, Inverness IV19 1JR.

Grey Goose Workshop

A workshop to discuss current and future research and monitoring of Icelandic-breeding grey geese was held recently at Hvanneyri in Iceland. One of the key gaps in our understanding of population dynamics that was identified was the age of first breeding. To provide a better understanding of this, I would be very grateful if observers could make extra effort to record the social status of each marked bird they observe. This simply entails noting whether the bird appears paired or unpaired and whether it has any young and, if so, how many. It is possible to identify families of geese throughout the winter as they remain in close contact within the flock. They typically carry out different behaviours simultaneously and by watching a bird for a few minutes it is usually possible to gauge whether it has any relationship with any of it?s flock neighbours. However, at times birds from the same family may be separated by several metres, so always try to watch a marked bird for a while to be certain of it?s status. Young geese can be identified by their combination of small, rounded wing coverts, spotted breast and dark nail to the bill. For those of you that own a copy of the new Collins Bird Guide, there are some excellent drawings showing how to identify young grey geese.

Another recommendation arising from this workshop was that survival estimates could be improved by focusing resighting effort into specific periods of the annual cycle. For survival estimation, only sightings from selected winter periods are used and these are October and March for Pink-footed Geese and November and March for Greylags. However, it remains important to continue to resight marked birds outside of these periods for other purposes.

Finally, may I thank you all in anticipation for your contribution to these important monitoring programmes during the coming winter. As always, if you would like any further information or have any other questions about this work, please do not hesitate to contact me.

With best wishes.

Richard Hearn

Two examples of the recorded movements of colour-coded Pink-footed Geese.	Invaluable data can be gathered from colour-code sightings

Pink-footed Goose FLF was an adult male when collared 30.07.1999 Nautalda, Thjorsarver, Arness, Iceland 06.10.1999 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 16.10.1999 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 29.01.2000 Bonds Farm, Pilling, Fylde 18.09.2000 RSPB Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire 19.09.2000 RSPB Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire 05.10.2000 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 08.10.2000 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 15.10.2000 west of Burscough, Lancashire 26.12.2000 Ivy Farm, Pilling, Fylde 12.01.2001 Pilling Lane, Fylde 26.01.2001 Fishers Row, Pilling, Fylde 23.02.2001 Eagland Hill, Fylde 22.09.2001 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 17.10.2001 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 22.10.2001 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 27.10.2001 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 02.11.2001 Fishers Row, Pilling, Fylde 04.11.2001 Parrs Farm, Fleetwood, Fylde 26.12.2001 Cumming Carr, Pilling, Fylde 07.01.2002 Cumming Carr, Pilling, Fylde 07.01.2002 Eskham House, Out Rawcliffe, Fylde 16.02.2002 Bonds Farm, Pilling, Fylde 22.09.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 23.09.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 24.09.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 25.09.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 27.09.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 28.09.2002 RSPB Marshside, Merseyside 29.09.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 30.09.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 01.10.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 02.10.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 11.10.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 26.10.2002 Birk's Farm, Eagland Hill, Fylde 07.11.2002 Birk's Farm, Eagland Hill, Fylde 09.11.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 17.11.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 28.11.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 29.11.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 14.12.2002 Ridge Farm, Pilling, Fylde 17.12.2002 Bond's Farm, Pilling, Fylde 21.12.2002 Cumming Carr, Pilling, Fylde 23.12.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 20.01.2003 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 31.01.2003 Fleetwood Farm, Fleetwood, Fylde 03.02.2003 Fleetwood Farm, Fleetwood, Fylde 09.02.2003 Kendal Hill, Lower Thurnham, Fylde 19.02.2003 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 22.02.2003 Sweetings, Cockerham Moss, Fylde 24.09.2003 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 25.09.2003 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 26.09.2003 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 29.09.2003 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 07.10.2003 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 11.10.2003 Banks Marsh, Lancashire 08.12.2003 Fleetwood Farm, Fleetwood, Fylde 11.01.2004 Singleton, Fylde 09.02.2004 Sweetings, Cockerham Moss, Fylde 24.02.2004 Moss Side, Formby, North Merseyside 01.03.2004 Pilling Lane Ends, Fylde 06.03.2004 Fluke Hall Lane, Fylde 15.04.2004 Miltonhill/Hempriggs, Kinloss, Moray 16.04.2004 Miltonhill/Hempriggs, Kinloss, Moray 29.09.2004 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 01.10.2004 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 21.01.2006 Fleetwood Farm, Fleetwood, Fylde 04.02.2006 Hillam Lane, Cockerham, Fylde 11.02.2006 Cumming Carr, Pilling, Fylde 02.03.2006 Dam Side, Pilling, Fylde 28.02.2007 Cemetery Lane, Stalmine, Fylde 30.09.2007 Eagland Hill, Fylde	Pink-footed Goose LCI was an adult male when collared 29.07.2000 Oddkelsalda, Thjorsarver, Arness, Iceland 25.12.2000 Ivy Farm, Pilling, Fylde 29.12.2000 south of Egmere, Norfolk 03.01.2001 Cumming Carr, Pilling, Fylde 01.03.2001 Heaton Marsh, Lancaster, Lancashire 07.04.2001 Mound Rock, Loch Fleet, Sutherland 15.04.2001 Golspie, Sutherland 15.10.2001 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 28.10.2001 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 13.12.2001 High Gate Lane, Stalmine, Fylde 16.12.2001 Fleetwood Farm, Rossall, Fylde 25.12.2001 Birk's Farm, Pilling, Fylde 27.12.2001 Pilling Lane, Fylde 10.01.2002 Birk's Farm, Fylde 12.01.2002 Ridge Farm, Fylde 15.01.2002 Fluke Hall, Fylde 04.10.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 09.10.2002 WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire 26.10.2002 Birk's Farm, Eagland Hill, Fylde 01.01.2003 Cumming Carr, Pilling, Fylde 23.01.2003 Cemetery Lane, Stalmine, Fylde 31.01.2003 Fleetwood Farm, Fleetwood, Fylde 02.02.2003 Fleetwood Farm, Fleetwood, Fylde 17.02.2003 Eagland Hill, Fylde 27.02.2003 Eagland Hill, Fylde 01.03.2003 Eagland Hill, Fylde 04.03.2003 Birk's Farm, Eagland Hill, Fylde 14.03.2003 Bone Hill Farm, Pilling, Fylde
Note how FLF has a definite pattern of frequenting WWT Martin Mere in the autumn before moving to the Fylde in late December/early January.	Note the rapid movement from the Fylde to Norfolk and back, probably in response to freezing conditions in Lancashire.

Please send details of your sightings of colour-coded Pink-footed Geese to Richard Hearn at WWT or via the Fylde Bird Club

to view more life histories of neck-collared Pink-footed Geese which have visited the Fylde click here