The pink footed geese have featured before in this blog (Click Here) and as they are part and parcel of the daily life of the Holkham Walled Garden in the winter they are worth another look. They usually form a V shape or 'skein' as they travel over the garden between their roosts out on the marsh and their feeding grounds of sugar beet tops over in the fields. The skein photographed here contains over fifty geese that were travelling for their breakfast in the early morning. The superimposed goose shows why they are called Pinkfoot Geese.
They fly in a V shape principally to conserve energy, studies have shown they can save up to 70% on the uplift of the goose in front. Spare a thought then for the frontrunner (and the two far outriders) who work harder and drop back on a long flight to change places. For a little more detail on the aerodynamics of the flight pattern (Click Here)
Wave after wave of pink footed geese fly over the Holkham Walled Garden early in the morning. They have recently arrived on the north winds from Greenland to overwinter here. They cross the Holkham Walled Garden on their way from the marshes to the nearby fields to feed on the sugar beet tops left by the farmers. This farming article link explains the delicate and threatened relationship between the thousands of birds in the area and the sugar beet harvest. Estimates vary but it is thought that over 60,000 of these birds are currently around the Holkham Beach area, about a third of the world population. Their wonderful noisy fly pasts are a backdrop to the work in the garden.
This short video captured the early birds at daybreak over the north garden wall.
