Update on Slamannan Bean Geese flock

 We have at least 49 birds left at Slamannan after further movements of our birds to Denmark within the last week. 

A birder in Denmark reports a flock of 130 bean geese at Pandrup including our marked birds V6 and 4 gps tags 20, 18 27 and 39.

Weather outlook for the area for early February is very cold with temperatures below zero. 

Will be interesting to see if they make any movements during that period. 

This early movement of our flock is confirming how our flock are reacting to weather temperatures and patterns. 

We still have two tags showing at Slamannan which is helpful for locating our birds. 

Update from Slamannan 24 January 2021

Cold sunny weather today made it an ideal forecast to visit the area, take some winter shots and look for the bean geese. 

After a one hour search I found a flock of 83 birds just to the north of Oakersdyke Farm. Viewed the birds from a good distance through a scope but too far away to read any collars. 

Attached a few photographs taken during the visit to give you a general view of what can be seen here during the winter months if you have luck with the weather. We are now coming to the end of the wintering season here for our birds so will be keeping an eye on tracking data over the next week. Our other two birds are still showing from Pandrup in Denmark. 

Update from Denmark

 Fresh update today would indicate that our birds have moved north again to Pandrup and have been joined with one of our tagged birds (V6) who was last seen here on 17th December. This movement  would perhaps give us the answer why in recent weeks our flock total has decreased. Very early for birds to leave us for Denmark. 

V6 adult female when caught on 2013 is now part of a flock of 94 Bean Geese (including 39 & 20) at that location.

A report today from the Yare Valley in England reported 6 Taiga Bean Geese present.

Attached a new picture from Pandrup and secondly a nice picture taken by Simon Rix in previous years of the conditions our birds may well face this spring.

 

Fresh news from our two birds in Denmark

 On 3 January I spoke of our two birds beginning a spring movement north to Pandrup. Well they have had a change of mind and in the last couple of days have moved south again to near Thisted. 

This movement is probably weather related as cold weather is affecting a lot of us in Europe. 

The birds at Slamannan are coping well with all that the weather throws at them. See below for new map of the birds move in Denmark.

News update from Denmark

 The tracking data today has indicated that the two of our birds (39&20) that did not arrive in Scotland this winter have now moved northwards in a spring migration move.

Moving from Thisted to Pandrup. 

These two birds moved from Slamannan to Pandrup in early January last year so it is really interesting to see this behaviour again. Regardless of the cold weather in Denmark the urge to move must be strong.

See attached map.

Fresh Update from the Slamannan Plateau

 We now have a flock of 210 birds this winter which is very similar to the 207 we had last year. 

Some better weather on the 17 Dec gave us the opportunity to search for juveniles within the flock. With the help of Carl Mitchell (WWT) we searched a flock of 115 birds near the Dyke Farm and identified 7 juveniles out of 98 birds.

Later in the morning we searched a further flock of 80 birds and identified a further 13 juveniles out of 69 birds within the flock. 

Brood sizes for all counted was 1,1,1,2,2,3,2,1,2,1,1,2,1 = 20 juveniles in total out of 167 birds aged which equates to 12% an average count for our wintering flock of Taiga geese over the past 20 years.

The flock remains in two distinct groups this winter and probably reflects the two variable migration routes when they leave Denmark in the early spring on their migration routes north via Norway and Sweden.

Again this winter the birds use of the field systems available to them highlights their love of being difficult to see when they use fields with plenty of camouflage which obviously gives them a sense of security. 

It has been noticeable with Covid 19 in the environment that visiting birders have been very few this winter and it is sad that you have lost the opportunity to see this lovely goose in its winter quarters. 

I attach a picture for you to enjoy the birds in one of the fields I have described above. 

We still have the ability to monitor six of our tagged birds although at this time of the year their batteries often don't have enough charge to tell us where they are. 

Two of our birds caught last year are still showing in Denmark so it definitely looks like they are short stopping this winter and not coming across. 

News update on the Bean Geese flock at Slamannan

Most of the lock have been visible to the north of Slamannan and best viewed from the playing fields car park just near the Primary School

They are best viewed through a scope as the distance is great and binonculars don't do them justice.

We still have some of our GPS tags working although dull weather has been a problem recently. 

There are still two of our tagged birds in Denmark where it is beginning to look like they will stay there this winter. 

A few pics courtesy of Chris Batty