At Montrose Basin in October there is a familiar sound ringing around of the returning pink-footed geese. They are particularly famous at Montrose for the amount that migrate to our Basin each year. Last year we had a record breaking estimated 90,000 pink-footed geese settling on the Basin. The sheer volume of numbers attracts visitors to Montrose Basin from all over the world each year to watch them fly off and return through the day but also to hear the incredible sound produced by all of them being together. 

© Scottish Wildlife Trust

Here are some interesting facts about the geese.The Latin name for pink-footed goose is Anser brachyrhynchus. They start life off around Iceland and East Greenland where they mainly breed. When it is time to migrate they then head for North East Europe, with one of their first landing sites being Scotland at Montrose Basin. One pink-foot can cover around 36,000 miles in a lifetime spanning ten years. We would like to imagine here that we would get the same visitors every year but we do not actually know.

© Scottish Wildlife Trust

The pink-footed geese are easily identified by their pink legs and feet, hence the name. Unlike some other birds the male and female of this species look identical. This is an exciting time of year for everyone at the Montrose Basin. If you would like to learn more about this special bird then come along to our Gabble About Geese event. To book, find our phone number or email on the poster below, or even easier follow this link: http://bit.ly/2wJ4pfN

-Marie-Anne Brown (Social Media and Visitors Experience Intern)