One of the North East’s most astonishing natural spectacles will be celebrated in a landmark event this Autumn. Visitors to Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve’s inaugural Goose Festival will witness first-hand the region’s very own ‘dawn chorus’ – an event of incomparable sound and vision as thousands of over-wintering geese lift off together at sunrise on 29 & 31 October and 2 November 2024, 7-9am.
Each autumn, wild geese descend on Lindisfarne Natural Nature Reserve after a long migration from the Arctic North, some traveling over 2,700km to reach the region. The Reserve is the most important site in the North-East and one of the most important in the UK for over-wintering geese, with half the global population of light-bellied brent geese making their seasonal home here. Other avian visitors include pink-footed geese, barnacle geese and greylag geese, as well as eider ducks, wigeon and a plethora of wading birds. Up to 80,000 birds have been recorded feeding on the Reserve during the winter.
The National Nature Reserve team will host three sunrise events from 7am on 29 & 31 October and 2 November 2024. Visitors should gather at the Budle Bay viewing platform to await the exhilarating lift of geese as they fly from their overnight roosts to their feeding grounds on the mudflats, intertidal areas and grass fields of Lindisfarne.
In advance of the Dawn Chorus, there will be a Goose Gala at Window on the Wild on Holy Island on the 21 and 23 October between 11am – 2pm, where there will be goose-related fun and games for all the family and lots of information about the geese themselves. There will also be a Goose Watch on the 30 October and 1 November, 11am – 2pm at Harpers Heugh overlooking Budle Bay, where staff and volunteers will provide telescopes, binoculars and expert knowledge to help visitors view thousands of birds on the bay and surrounding farmland.
Andy Denton, Reserve Manager at Lindisfarne NNR, said: “The Goose Festival is an opportunity to highlight the remarkable journey of the wild geese and to celebrate our deep connection with the natural world. This couldn’t be more relevant right now on the back of the alarming news from the State of Nature Report 2023*, warning that UK nature is in crisis.
“For me, the arrival of the geese heralds the start of Autumn. The ‘dawn chorus’ here is a little-known wonder of nature – it really has to be seen to be believed.”
The UK is a very special haven for geese and birds, as the Gulf Stream ensures UK winters stay remarkably mild for their latitude. At Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, this means that the waterfowl and waders can access the intertidal mudflats throughout the coldest months, where they can feast on energy-rich eel grass and invertebrates.
The Reserve, together with a number of other sites along the Northumberland Coast, is home to some of the rarest shorebirds in the UK. These are birds that use the beaches, saltmarshes and rocky shores to nest, rest and feed, but are often overlooked and have suffered steep declines in the last 30 years. In the North-East alone, habitat loss, increased coastal recreation and climate change have all taken a significant toll.
The Reserve team work hard throughout the year to support and raise awareness of these fascinating but endangered birds – creating refuges, supporting nesting, monitoring numbers and managing disturbance.
Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, which is managed by Natural England, is currently receiving additional support from the LIFE WADER project. WADER is a major £5.8m five-year nature recovery project, co-funded by the European Union. WADER (Water and Disturbance Environmental Restoration on the Northumberland coast) is also led by Natural England and brings together a range of experts to improve the ecological condition of more than 49,000 hectares of river, coastal and marine habitat and improve water quality within the river Tweed catchment and along the Northumberland Coast.
The project has not only funded an extra full-time wildlife warden on the Reserve, but also four seasonal wardens for the summer breeding period. With so many extra staff on board, the team has been able to protect an additional 20ha of spring and summer refuges for shorebirds.
WADER Project Manager, Liz Humphreys, said: “The Goose Festival is a wonderful opportunity to fly the flag for the incredible wildlife we have here in Northumberland. Although the geese here, unlike the shorebirds, aren’t endangered, their habitat here is in an exceptionally fragile balance and it’s vital that we continue to work hard to protect it and help it to thrive”.
“All indicators suggest that the hard work of the wildlife team here, given a major staff boost by WADER, is significantly increasing the resilience of this beautiful and wild landscape for the benefit of both people and nature. We hope it will ensure that generations to come will be able to witness this same dawn spectacle many years from now. Events like the Goose Festival will help remind visitors how to play their part too.”
The Government’s 25-Year Environment plan sets out the ambition for a growing and resilient network of land, water and sea that is richer in plants and wildlife. Such a network is the keystone for health, wealth and prosperity in society, and a major defence against the perils of climate change.
The government has committed to restoring 75% of our one million hectares of protected sites to favorable condition, securing their wildlife value for the long term.
All Goose Festival events are free (donations welcome), no booking required. For more information please visit www.lindisfarnennr.blogspot.com, call the Reserve office on 01289381470 or email [email protected].
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