More than 70,000 pink footed geese arrive in Scotland after 800-mile journey

More than 70,000 pink-footed geese have arrived in Angus in one of autumn’s most breathtaking wildlife spectacles.

Every year, tens of thousands of the birds travel to Montrose Basin after an 800-mile journey from Iceland and Greenland.

The geese spend the winter months at the beauty spot, which is an enclosed estuary covering 750 hectares of tidal mudflats and offers feeding and roosting ground.

The majority of the birds will stay until January, then continue their migration south.

Around 20% of the world’s population roosts at the Scottish Wildlife Trust site in Angus, making it critical for international conservation.

Last year, more than 40,000 were counted and this year marks a signficant rise in the number of geese who have arrived in Angus – just in time for the site’s 30th annivesary.

The visitor centre held a special GooseFest to mark the anniversary, while local schoolchildren took part in Pink Foot Friday by wearing pink socks or shoes.

Joanna Peaker, Montrose Basin visitor centre site manager, said: “Scotland is home to some incredible natural wonders, but the sight and sound of all those geese taking off against the backdrop of a beautiful sunrise is hard to beat. Their arrival at the Basin is always the highlight of our year, so building our 30th anniversary celebrations around them seemed like the perfect fit.”