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Rare visitor
14:43:30 03/12/2007
Red-breasted goose arrives in UK
A lone individual of the endangered red-breasted goose has been sighted among thousands of barnacle geese at Caerlaverock Wetland Centre in southern Scotland. These birds usually winter in Eastern Europe, having migrated from the Russian Arctic where they breed during the summer.
Up to the end of 2004, there had been just 70 accepted records of wild red-breasted geese visiting the UK. Brian Morrell, of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Caerlaverock, said recent northerly gales may have blown the bird off its migratory course, suggesting it could remain here until April before returning to its native breeding grounds.
Experts say sightings of the red-breasted goose may become more frequent in Britain due to the threats they face at their favoured wintering grounds, including loss of habitat because of oil exploration, agricultural changes and hunting on the Black Sea coast of north-east Bulgaria.
These factors may prevent the geese from settling and feeding over the winter months – the species has declined by 56 per cent in the past 10 years – and conservation initiatives are now underway across Eastern Europe to increase the bird’s numbers.
Jonathan Young
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