There have been hundreds of Barnacle Geese flying over the reserve today, migrating south from their breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle, the first we’ve spotted this year.  If you have binoculars you’ll be able to spot that these smart birds are black and white, rather than brown like the Pink-footed Geese which are also flying south at the moment.  If you don’t have any visual aids though, you can still pick out a skein of barnacle geese as they make a very different sound.  Listen out for a short yapping sound, like small dogs barking:  http://www.xeno-canto.org/270041  Pink-footed Geese, on the other hand, make a very distinctive, high pitched “wink wink” call: http://www.xeno-canto.org/324770.  Lizy

Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis, flying over