Pink-footed geese arrive at WWT Martin Mere as the autumn migration begins
The autumn sound of geese calling whilst flying overhead will soon be a regular occurrence as the first 500 Pink-footed geese have made the 500 mile journey from Iceland to spend the next month at WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre.
Last year Martin Mere had a record number of geese arrive with 40,000 of them roosting on site. Over the next couple of weeks numbers will steadily increase with an estimated 100,000 geese being in the local area. The geese spend the summer in Iceland and will ultimately spend the winter in the south after using the North West as a refueling point.
This time of year raises plenty of questions about how birds know where to migrate. Geese travel in large family flocks and that is how they learn flight paths, with the most experienced birds flying at the front of the V formation.
Centre Manager, Andy Wooldridge, said: “I have seen many changes in the last 30 years but none as prominent as the massive increase in the number of geese travelling through Lancashire, which will often get 25% of the Icelandic population of Pink-feet (approximately 100,000). Late September and October is one of the best times of the year to visit Martin Mere as it is amazing to see the geese fly in during the afternoon to roost on the mere.”
Visitors also have the opportunity to watch the geese leave the roost in our special Dawn Flight events happening on Saturday 22 and 29 October. The events, starting at 7am, are £15 per person and include an English breakfast. To book onto the event, call Lucy on 01704 895181.
WWT Martin Mere is open every day from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Situated off the A59, it is signposted from the M61, M58 and M6. The Centre is also accessible via the Southport to Manchester and the Liverpool to Preston line by train from Burscough Rail Stations. Visit the web site http://www.wwt.org.uk/martinmere/ to find out what’s on all year round at Martin Mere and the other eight centres.
