barnacle geese Caroline Smith

Caroline Smith

Geese are social and noisy large birds, who call to each other throughout their migrations, and (like swans), mate for life. They often fly in a v-line (if one gets sick, two fly down with it until it gets better or dies. Then they fly back to the original group or find another one to join. How fascinating.

Geese are also quite comical. They fixate on whoever they see as their ‘mother’ which is why they actually behave like guard dogs sometimes if you go near their territory, and chase you down the street!

pair of honking geese Melissa Jan

Melissa Jane Art

Geese love wetlands and most head to warmer climates in winter, returning to England for breeding.

Canada geese have black necks and honking calls, and very common in England.

Barnacle geese have black and white plumage, like they are wearing tuxedos! They love coastal areas and are great fliers, migrating from Greenland to Scotland each autumn, a journey spanning hundreds of miles.

Brent geese are found along estuaries and coasts. Dark-bellied geese breed in Siberia, while light-bellied geese come from Canada. Their favourite meal is eelgrass and marine vegetation.

Greylag geese are heavy birds that often graze on agricultural land. They often nest in grounded tufts of grass.

Egyptian geese were originally from Africa, and have striking brown and beige plumage, with distinctive facial markings. They like to live in parks and large estates, and often nest in trees.

Migration Patterns and Habitats

In winter, many geese migrate to England to find refuge in weltlands, for food and shelter. Barnacle geese return to coastal cliffs to nest, while Brent geese prefer muddy estuaries. So protecting these territories if vital.

Like most wildlife, geese face threats from habitat loss, hunting and climate change, along with urban development reducing their nesting sites. Unpredictable weather patterns are also disrupting migration routes.

Don’t Eat (or Hunt) Geese

You can also make good roast spuds without goose fat.

Voluntary bans on lead shot have not worked. 100,000 wildfowl die yearly from ingesting metal in used pellets (lead shot also harms up to half a million other creatures).

Harming native wildlife is illegal. Report concerns (can be anonymous) to Wildlife Crime Unit.

Recycle Used Fishing Gear

Anglers can use Monomaster, which lets you store fishing gear, until you deposit it in a fishing line recycling station (or send it off).

Boycott Pate de Foie Gras

This is when geese (and ducks) are force-fed until their pates turn to liver. It’s banned in the UK to produce, but still sold in some shops, hotels and restaurants.

Should You Feed Bread to Wildfowl?

It’s best to let wildfowl (and garden birds) find their own food if possible, to stop them relying on humans. Also with 60 million people, a ‘little bread’ turns into a lot, and it’s not their natural food. Never feed mouldy/stale/crusty bread to birds, not buttered leftovers (fat smears on feathers, affecting waterproofing/insulation). 

Support Geese Sanctuaries

Support GoodHeart Animal Sanctuaries which gives loving homes to homeless geese. They enjoy patrolling the yard, swimming in ponds and exploring. When night falls, the ‘tame flock’ are herded into a cosy overnight closure, and the ‘wild flock’ heads to a secure island, safe from predators.

If you care for geese, RSPCA has care info on food, housing, disease and keeping them safe from predators. One tip to humanely deter foxes is to get the male member of the household to urinate in the garden!

A Book for Children to Learn About Geese

Barney Goose

Barney Goose is an Irish story, influenced by the Atlantic adventure of a native goose. Tom the lighthouse keeper finds an egg washed up on a West Cork beach. When it hatches, the young goose happily lives with Tom, until he feels a need to fly. What will Barney find, as he travels the Wild Atlantic Way from West Cork to Donegal? And why does he feel the need to fly there?

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