Fewer geese return to Scotland

Barnacle geese returning to the Solway Firth have been arriving with an ever decreasing number of young over the past decade, according to research by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT). The charity said the fall is likely due to a combination of factors, including increased predation of island nests by polar bears now unable to feed on seals as effectively due to the ice melting as winter temperatures rise. White-fronted Greenland geese are also lingering longer in Iceland before making the crossing back to Scotland and Ireland, which puts them under greater threat from Atlantic storms and from illegal hunting, the WWT added.