Natural England grants the killing of thousands of Brent Geese

16/07/2019

At least 6,000 Brent Geese were shot while they overwintered in England between 2014 and 2019 after Natural England issued hundreds of licences to kill the Amber-listed species.

However, it is thought the exact death toll could in fact be as high as 8,000, with official data unclear. The number of geese to be killed on some of the applications isn't listed, hence the confusion over the precise figures involved.

Brent Goose is somewhat localised in Britain in winter, with an estimated 100,000 migrating to our isles during the colder months, meaning that perhaps some 8 per cent of the population has been killed since 2014. Natural England claimed the species causes 'serious damage to crops, vegetable or fruit', despite the geese having a varied diet, particularly eel-grass, but also seaweed and grass.

During winter, Brent Goose is almost exclusively coastal, with particularly large concentrations of Dark-bellied Brent across the estuarine habitats of Lincolnshire, North Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, North Kent and Hampshire. Pale-bellied Brent has a more northerly range, with Strangford Lough and Lough Foyle, both in Northern Ireland, and Holy Island, Northumberland, holding significant numbers. The shootings involved Dark-bellied Brent and took place in Essex, Kent and Lincolnshire.

Source

Take a gander at wildlife spectacle

HAVE a gander at one of the Thames Estuary's most impressive wildlife spectacles over the coming weeks as thousands of brent geese descend on the river.

You can get a great view of the incoming wildfowl with the RSPB at The Peterboat in Leigh-on-Sea where telescopes will be set up on the pub's patio area.

The mudflats at Leigh come alive as the UK's smallest goose arrives from northern Russia and Siberia to feed on the eelgrass in the estuary.

The Thames Estuary is one of the best places in the country to see such large numbers of brent geese as they descend and feed and you may also glimpse other wildfowl and wildlife from the RSPB's vantage point.

Alan Shearman of the RSPB said: "The brent goose watch is a brilliant chance to get close to an amazing wildlife spectacle.

"The Thames Estuary is vitally important for wildlife and is one of the most biologically productive habitats on the planet – even rivaling tropical rainforests! And there's not a better moment to really see this than when watching the autumn geese and waders arrive."

Continued: http://www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/gander-wildlife-spectacle/story-17030136-detail/story.html