A blustery, windy day with apparently nobody out there braving the elements looking for birds. However, the official International Goose Counts took place on Islay during the preceding two days and Morven Laurie kindly sent in the results:
There were 34,782 Barnacle Geese, 3,578 Greenland White-fronted Geese and 1,622 Greylag Geese. This compares with the International Count a year ago (November 2021) of 37,202 Barnacle Geese and 6,956 Greenland White-fronted Geese. Both species are below last year's total; the White-fronted Geese nearly 50% down which seems quite extreme. Does anyone know why? Is it avian flu, a disastrous breeding season, the birds haven't all arrived yet - or wintering somewhere else?
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