Grass-guzzling geese
Grazing land destroyed by birds that eat day and
night
A group of tourists has out-stayed its welcome on Islay, the
island known as Queen of the Hebrides.
The unwelcome visitors are a flock of 50,000 geese from
Greenland. The birds spend winter on the island and farmers say
they are wrtecking their grazing land.
"These geese arrive in the middle of October and leave in the
middle of April and for six months they just eat grass," said Gill
Johnstone, a farmer from Islay.
This is disastrous for livestock farmers, who need the grass to
feed their animals. Replanting it costs a fortune.
The barnacle goose and Greenland white-fronted goose are
protected species. For the past 30 years Islay has worked to
conserve the birds and increase their numbers.
The island is now the winter stopover for 70% of the world
population of the species and last year the BBC'S Autumnwatch
programme visited Islay to feature the mass migration.
But now the island has become a victim of its own success. There
are so many birds visiting that once-green fields have become muddy
patches.
Some of Islays farmers are at the point of collapse. Government
funding for farms is going down, while the number of geese arriving
is going up.
Ms Johnstone said: "These geese will arrive around October 14
and leave around April 7 every year. And in between those dates
they eat - every day and often at night too."
Click
here to have a go at our Islay goose quiz.
Lesson ideas and
suggestions
Read and discuss lesson ideas on our Facebook page
Join our mailing list (Glow login
required)
Grass-guzzling geese
Geese facts
The barnacle goose has distinctive black and white markings and
a wingspan of up to 1.45 metres.
The Greenland white-fronted goose - named for the patch of white
feathers bordering its bill - has brown markings, bright orange
legs and an orange bill. It has a wingspan of up to 1.65
metres.
In North America the white-fronted goose is known as the
specklebelly.
The geese breed in eastern Greenland and most winter on Islay,
though some also winter in Ireland and around the Solway Firth.
Ancient folklore says the barnacle goose was created underwater
from driftwood.
Barnacle geese are protected under the Bonn Convention's
Agreement on the Conservation of AfricanEurasian Migratory
Waterbirds.
Geese are part of the Anatidae family of birds, which includes
swans and ducks.
The RSPB describes the barnacle goose as having a "noisy chorus
of barking or yapping sounds". Follow the link on the right of this
page to listen to their call.
Click
here to have a go at our Islay goose quiz.
Lesson ideas and
suggestions
Read and discuss lesson ideas on our Facebook page
Join our mailing list (Glow login
required)