The body feathers vary from gray-brown to dark brown, and the underside (belly) feathers are white and gray/brown feathers.

The Canada goose’s head, bill, and neck are black, except for this white cheek patch. The most identifying mark on the Canada goose is the white cheek patch, also called a chin strap. The giant Canada goose may weigh up to 15-20 pounds. The Interiori Canada goose may weigh from 7-10 pounds, and is shorter and a little more slender than the giant Canada goose. There are two subspecies, the Branta Canadensis Interiori (interior Canada goose), and the Branta Canadensis Maxima (giant Canada goose). If one of a mated pair or a family member is injured, a goose will go down with the injured goose, and guard the injured goose until it recovers or dies. A mate will put itself in danger to protect the mate, and parents will also place themselves in danger to protect the young. Canada geese are very loyal and emotional towards each other, and have strong family values. The Canada goose is very majestic because of its size, markings, graceful movement, and their well-known devotion to the mate and family. Thank you to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for making these extended opening hours possible this autumn.NATURE, DESCRIPTION, AND BEHAVIOR OF CANADA GEESE: You can still book a timeslot within our regular opening hours.

You can always give the centre a call during our opening hours if you would like a map or directions.Īll of our our early morning and after-hours goose viewing admissions from the visitor centre have sold out. The best place to see the geese at dawn and dusk is from the Tayock. It’s not just the Montrose residents that are very taken with the pink-footed geese, though – recently, a pair of spoonbills have sometimes been spotted amongst them. We say this in the fondest way possible, of course. Our skeins become less like elegant, stretching pieces of thread, and more like messy, tangled (and noisy) balls of wool filling up the horizon. When the numbers start reaching the peaks of 80,000, it’s impossible to wrap your head around the quantity. The Montrose Basin is such a special place at this time of year because of the sheer number of geese we get in autumn. You might have to squint your eyes a bit though. With their very efficient, orderly lines, they can kind of look like a long piece of wool gliding through the sky, rippling as the geese change positions. When you see geese flying overhead in their classic ‘v’ shape, it’s easy to imagine the inspiration for adopting the same term (although whether or not the connection really works this like is a bit of an etymological mystery). Notice our iconic visitor centre in the background! © Ron Mitchell Where does the word ‘skein’ come from?Ī skein can refer to either a flying group of wildfowl (usually geese), or – weirdly – a length of yarn. The skeins of geese returning to the reserve in the evening now often look less like ‘v’s and more like vast, shapeless clouds. 15,000 was the estimate yesterday morning, but by mid-October we often get closer to 70,000. The numbers have been increasing sporadically since then, but we’ve definitely noticed a larger influx in the past couple of days. Perhaps the wind was blowing just right one day in early September, and the pink-footed geese in Iceland and Greenland chose to take advantage of it. People across Scotland heard their first pink-footed geese of the season quite early this year: reports of around 200 geese came through from northern Scotland in the early hours of 6 September, and later that same day, 200 appeared at Montrose Basin! Whether or not they were the same ones is impossible to say, but it was confirmation of an early beginning to pink-footed goose season.

The autumn equinox has just passed, but the unmistakable ‘heralds of autumn’ were making their voices heard well before that.

Flock of geese called