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Living World: Barnacle Geese of Caerlaverock

Living World barnacle geese 241113

24/11/2013

Barnacle Geese of Caerlaverock

BBC Radio 4 - Living World, Barnacle Geese of Caerlaverock

Trai Anfield and Brian Morrell witness huge flocks of barnacle geese at WWT Caerlaverock.

Trai Anfield goes to Caerlaverock to witness the spectacle of thousands of barnacle geese as they fatten up after their long journey from Svalbard.

After a long summer spent raising their young in the Arctic, barnacle geese need a safe place in warmer climes to fatten up before the breeding season begins again. Every winter the whole population of Svalbard barnacle geese make their way to one place in the UK; the Solway Firth on the west coast of Scotland. One of the best places to see them is the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust centre at Caerlaverock. Each day the barnacle geese gorge themselves in the fields around the centre. Just before dusk, quiet falls over the feeding birds, signalling it is time to return en masse to roost in the salt flats out of the way of opportunistic predators. Presenter Trai Anfield joins Brian Morrell to find out how their long journey has affected them and witness this incredible spectacle.

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