Although birding in autumn brings expectation in terms of seeing scarce and rare birds as they migrate it is also a time to enjoy watching large flocks of commoner species as they gather in migratory flocks or as their numbers build up as they arrive on their wintering grounds. When I am in UK one of the birding spectacles I look forward to in autumn is the arrival of large numbers of Brent Geese in the Thames estuary in southeast England. Flocks of these winter visitors arrive in tens, then hundreds, finally forming groups in their thousands and their constant contact calls help to create an amazing atmosphere when out birding on the marshes of North Kent. Over the last few weeks I have made a number of trips to several locations where these charismatic birds gather and spent time watching and photographing them as well as creating a video about them.

One of the places I like to go that is very good for seeing large groups of Brent Geese is Graveney, near Faversham, where groups of thousands often gather and by sitting quietly I got very close to many of them as they floated along on the water and fed on the water’s edge.

Brent Geese breed in Arctic regions but spend the winter further south on salt marshes and estuaries across the northern hemisphere with over one hundred thousand birds wintering in UK in a few favoured areas of the country.

Brent Geese spend a lot of time feeding on eel grass but they also move onto fields to feed on crops that are just emerging from the soil as well as algae along the shoreline.

The flocks that gather in the Swale, the part of the Thames estuary in which I have photographed all of these Brent Geese, comprise about 2% of the UK population; around 3000 birds.

One thing I have noticed in the Thames estuary is that Brent Geese usually feed at low tide but at high tide they roost in flocks on the water. I have also seen them fly off into nearby fields too, particularly at dusk and if low tides are not particularly low; they need more feeding time.

For those of you, who like me, enjoy the arrival of flocks of geese onto their wintering grounds and the atmosphere created by their sound and their habitat, this book is one you will probably enjoy – “Wintering A Season with Geese“. This book captures the essence of the landscapes and celebrates the goose species of UK.