Why are geese flocking to a Wearside nature reserve?
Many people consider them a pleasant addition to an autumn skyline. Others, however, aren't so complimentary when their sleep is disturbed as they noisily fly over their rooftops information. For motorists using the A690 between Sunderland and Durham and people in Raintons and villages west of Durham, grayling geese are a common sight-and-sound at this t me of year. Up to 1,000 such birds, a mixture of permanent residents and visitors from possibly as far away as Scandinavia, spend autumn and much of winter at Rainton Meadows nature reserve. Durham Wildlife Trust, which runs the 70-acre site at Chilton Moor, on the outskirts of Houghton, has now released a stunning new series of photographs taken by development officer Susan Hepworth. A detailed video shot by volunteer trust reserves officer Jason Hall also shows a flock landing in slow motion at one of the reserve’s ponds.
Enthusiasts believe wild geese are attracted to Rainton Meadows as a winter resting place because the wealth of nearby ponds, wetlands and farmers’ fields provides a
ready source of food. Birder Michael Heron 45, from Houghton. gels up most morning at first light to ever to the reserves
hides before work so that he can record the number of greylags and other breeds such as Canadian geese.
Trust member Michael, a foam factory worker, said: “It is such a spectacular sight when you see them coming in to land. Usually you get to hear them before you see them.”
Numbers usually decline at the end of winter, when many of the gee se return home to prepare for the breeding season. Peter ranney, te tru ’s co muni atio s op ent r, oa lit the site to watch the geese and enjoy the reserve’s other facilities.
He said: “It is amazing to see them coming in to land, and when they turn over on to their backs midflight and then back again it looks as though they are enjoying themselves too by showing off their aerobatic prowess.
“Birds can do things for reasons other than survival and instinct.”
Birds can do things for reasons other than survival and instinct” PETER STRANNEY OF DURHAM WILDLIFE TRUST
Thereserve sfreetoen er an is on al t includes a chil ren’ pla rea a poo Stories and Ghoulish Crafts day taking place during the school holidays on Thursday, October 27, at 10.30am and 1.30pm. This will cost £3 per child.
Further information about the event and the reserve is available by telephoning (0191) 5843112 or by logging on to www.durhamwt.com.
Five facts about greylag geese
There are two main subspecies of greylag. The western race breeds in the United Kingdom, Scandanavia and central Europe, while the eastern subspecies convers an area of Asia stretching as far east to China. Greylags feed mainly on short grass, which is considered to be more nutritious than the longer variety, and so can be found in pastures a long side sheep and cows. They are also partial to oats, wheat, barley and potatoes. They travel in formation to make their journeys easier by reducing wind resistance. The goose
at the front is exposed to the brunt of the oncoming elements and so the flock takes turns to lead. Greylags often fly upside down-knows as "whiffling"- as they ascend or descend. Explanations for this range from scaring off predators to simply showing off to their mates. Now classed as a native British bird, their presence in the North East dates back at least 1,000 years Gosforth, in Newcastle, is a corruption of the Old English for "goose ford".