Brent Goose

Above and below: Brent Geese

There are three superficially similar geese species that are collectively referred to as the 'black geese'. The Brent Goose is the smallest and blackest of these. The other two being the familiar Canada Goose (the largest) and the Barnacle Goose. Like most geese they visit our shores in winter, arriving as early as September and departing mostly in March with a few hanging on until April. They spend the summer breeding in the arctic from Canada to Scandinavia and Russia. Wintering birds in the UK are almost always found at a few sites around the coast.

There are two forms referred to as the pale-bellied and dark-bellied form. The pale -bellied form can usually be found wintering in Ireland and the North West and North East of England. The dark-bellied form winters in Southern and Eastern England. The birds have jet black head, beak, legs, neck and breast. In the pale-bellied form there is a clear distinctive line where the black breast meets the pale white/grey belly. In the dark-bellied form this distinction is less obvious with the black breast almost (but not quite) merging with the dark grey belly. In both forms the back is dark grey, the tail and wingtips are very dark grey/black and the back and rest of the wings are a slightly paler shade of grey. The under tail covert is snow white. There is also a small white flash on each side of the neck. They are easily distinguished from the other black geese as they are the only one without any prominent white marking on the head.

In the North West there are not many places that you can go to find these birds. They do turn up occasionally at Marshside, Fleetwood and various places around the Wirral, particularly the River Dee estuary. However, to get a reliable view and some fairly decent photographs you need to go to Hilbre Island.

Every winter about 50-70 of these beautiful geese visit Hilbre and can be seen feeding along the rocky shore as the tide goes out. Check the tide times carefully and plan for being stuck on the island, surrounded by the tide, for about 5 hours. There are no shops or toilets at present and very little shelter, so prepare well. The best photo opportunities come an hour or so after high tide when the geese usually follow the retreating tide towards the mouth of the Dee and end up just off Hilbre's Northern point, by the old lifeboat station slipway. here they spend some time feeding and offer the chance of a decent photograph.