Brent geese

[game_keeper]

Hi, on one of the lakes that i work at, we have recently recieved some new guests. A flock of about 20 brent geese. Has anyone else in the south seen these before?

Many thanks, Rob

[Cranfield]

Brent geese are evident throughout Kent, especially along the River Medway from the lower estuary, right up beyond Maidstone.

Also on the lakes in the Medway Valley and Darenth Valley.

They mix in easy with the Canada geese and look similar, but are smaller.

 

It seems fewer and fewer of these geese actually migrate anymore.

They raise large communal broods in all the areas I have mentioned.

Their speciality is fouling school playing fields.

[albifrons]

"They mix in easy with the Canada geese and look similar, but are smaller"

 

Where's the similarity between Brent and Canadas?

 

There is none..

[henry d]

They`re both "Black geese" as opposed to grey

[Cranfield]

"They mix in easy with the Canada geese and look similar, but are smaller"

 

Where's the similarity between Brent and Canadas?

 

There is none..

 

In our area the predominant geese were Greylags and all "black and white " geese have been Canadians, that is until the Brent numbers increased.

 

My comment was meant to indicate this.

 

Apart from size, there are other colouration differences, although a lot of our Brents seem to have a much shorter black neck marking and a more pronounced white upper neck marking than usual.

Whether this could be a result of inter breeding , I don't know.

[MC]

We get so many brent geese around our way from about november onwards, if they were on the list we would have to go and buy another freezer or two.

 

I'll probably get slated for it but I did shoot one by mistake a couple of seasons ago. It tasted OK

 

It is just so typical you miss everything you shoot at, until the time you shouldn't pull the trigger and BANG stone dead.

 

Cheers

 

Martin

[pavman]

we get loads in the winter on the river Alde, you can take a boat right up to them as they know they cant be shot

[Teal]

There are tens of thousands on Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland, so many in fact its having a detrimental effect on the other species of wildfowl there, as they graze it so hard. It would be pretty bad for shootings image if they were taken off the list, as they are fairly tame these days, and some people might get carried away. But in the future perhaps some sort of control will be necessary

[invector]

They aren't Canadians they are Canadas.

[Cranfield]

Quite correct, I apologise to offended Canadians everywhere.