Bournemouth University student and Birds of Poole Harbour volunteer Thomas Weston, has been back in the park over the last few weeks to continue his study of Poole Park’s Greylag Geese population.
The aim of the study is to discover where Greylag geese go after they have raised their young in Poole Park. Nobody knows this information and Thomas is the first person to try and find out!
Last year Thomas led a group of volunteers to corral (move to a holding pen), measure and ring 83 Greylags in Poole Park. The project then relied on members of the public spotting the birds in other parts of Dorset and the UK and reporting back their sightings. The sightings came in thick and fast throughout the year, with 225 in June alone. This allowed Thomas to create a ‘life history’ of some of the Greylags, learning which habitats they go to and when, plus details on how they bring up their young.
Last month Thomas worked with volunteers to ring a further 5 new goslings and 5 new adult Greylags. Here’s hoping that sightings over the next year help to build up even more detailed knowledge of the Greylags that use Poole Park to raise their young.
Please see the latest newsletter below for more information. If you have any sightings of the Greylags that you would like to report, please note down the ring number, take a photo if you can and …
- forward to Thomas Weston at pooleparkgreylags@gmail.com
- or share on Twitter @gardenbirder1
Thank you
Poole Park Greylag Goose project
June 2020 update
Download the Newsletter (PDF)