Monday, 26 August 2013

23rd August: Birds moving on again

The Island is relatively quiet just now, between the breeding season and the start of the Autumn migration, but the annual influx of geese and other migrant wildfowl may well start turning up at the end of this month!

Flocks of geese have already been seen at Budle Bay, and heard flying over the nearby coast. It won't be long before one of our most special visitors, the light-bellied Brent geese, begin to arrive in their thousands. They will be joined by pink-footed geese, barnacle geese and a host of other wildfowl such as wigeon and teal.

Last year's Barnacle geese on the flats - this will soon be a common sight again!


For the birds that still remain here, there is still plenty of food for them to fuel up before their long migrations. The Reserve is full of flies and caterpillars just now, great food for swallows and warblers before they undertake their epic journeys back to Africa for the winter.

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