Massed flocks of pink-footed geese at our Montrose Basin Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve featured on the BBC’s Autumnwatch programme last month.

Presenter Michaela Strachan took part in a Wild Goose Chase with local bird watchers. You can see their film here from around 34 minutes (until Friday 29 November).

A survey carried out by Trust staff and volunteers for the Icelandic-breeding Goose Census on 20 October counted a total of 66,575 pink-footed geese on the Basin. Numbers are now starting to decline rapidly as birds leave for their winter roosts in the east of England.

“Seeing and hearing masses of pink-footed geese on the Basin is one of the best nature experiences in Scotland.”

Joanna Peaker, Assistant Visitor Centre Manager at Montrose Basin said: “Seeing and hearing masses of pink-footed geese on the Basin is one of the best natural experiences in Scotland. It’s well worth braving the cold weather to visit one of our hides at dawn or dusk to take in the spectacle.

“We’re sure that Autumnwatch will create a great deal of interest in the reserve, but people who want to see pink-footed geese will need to be quick, because numbers are likely to drop quickly in the coming weeks.”

Montrose Basin Visitor Centre is open 10.30am-4pm, Friday to Monday until mid-February. The three hides on the reserve are open all year round.