The Wildlife of
Holy Island

 
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Geese and Swans - The Brent Goose

First seen on Monday 18th November 2019 at Holy Island

Brent Geese spend the winter at Lindisfarne in very large numbers (thousands). They are easily identified by having a black head and neck with a small white collar. There are three separate races of Brent Geese - pale-bellied, dark-bellied and black. Lindisfarne gets all three, although the black form is very rare. Pail-bellied are the common Brent Geese to see on Lindisfarne, however these are dark-bellied (you can see a dark colouration on the belly, which extends well behind the legs)


 

The photo below, and the in-flight photo shows Pale-bellied Brent Geese, which are more common at Lindisfarne.



Brent Geese generally feed in the fields away from the castle, but sometimes, when they are disturbed they will fly around the island. The photo below was taken from the top of the Castle, where you get panoramic views all around the island and can easily spot flocks of geese feeding.