Every autumn, approximately 25,000 of these light-bellied brent geese leave their breeding grounds in Arctic Canada and travel to Ireland to spend the winter. Like their ancestors before them, most will arrive on the mud flats of Strangford to refuel on the nutritious eel grass that grows in abundance here.
Food for thought
‘The birds leave Arctic Canada in late summer, travelling across Greenland, stopping off briefly in Iceland for a quick refuel before arriving in Ireland,’ explains Strangford Lough Lead Ranger Hugh Thurgate. A few will arrive on our shores in late August, but the majority land in early autumn and the influx reaches its peak in mid-October.
In 2020 on World Population Census Day, volunteers and rangers stationed themselves around the perimeter of Strangford Lough and began the count. This year returned a count of around 26,500 with about 6% identified as juveniles, meaning they were born in Arctic Canada this year and have made the journey to Strangford Lough. Based on this years count, we are hosting up to 90% of the global population of light-bellied brent geese from Arctic Canada at Strangford Lough. “As the autumn progresses into winter a lot of the birds will move across the island of Ireland and some will go as far as Spain and France. “The count this year has been much higher than last years, 21,000 geese were recorded in 2019, with about 24% being identified as juveniles, so we can attribute the rise in numbers to a successful breeding season in 2019” explains Countryside Manager Andrew Upton.