WETLANDS staff in the region are cautiously optimistic that one bird species may not be as affected by avian flu this year.
Despite the devastation caused by the ongoing outbreak across the UK, there was this week a glimmer of hope from the team at WWT Caerlaverock.
They expressed relief that, so far this season, they haven’t seen a repeat of the huge numbers of barnacle geese succumbing to avian influenza that occurred last year.
In 2021-22, the flu had devastating effects on the rare Svalbard barnacle goose, of which the entire population winters on the Solway, with a quarter found dead.
As a result, the staff at Caerlaverock have been waiting in anxious anticipation for the arrival of the geese this winter.
Yesterday they said ‘only small numbers’ of barnacle geese are currently dying from avian flu.
And although winter is just halfway through, they hope the signs are there for a more normal year for the species.
Furthermore, there are indications that the birds have had a good breeding season, which means the population is starting to recover.
However, a warning was also sounded that it may be many years before it reaches the 40,000 level again.
Caerlaverock site manager, David Pickett said: “After last winter’s crisis, many people are asking us what the situation is with the barnacle geese, so it is really good to be able to report that it is noth- ing like last year and the geese are giving visitors a fine spectacle on the reserve.
“It was heartbreaking to witness the distressing scenes last winter, but really encouraging to see the rare geese starting to recover, helped by the safe haven and plentiful food provided by our reserve.
“They are much loved and very special, people come here from miles away to get their yearly barnacle goose fix.”
Meanwhile, monitoring of the geese for signs of illness and mortality will continue over the next few months and David added: “Despite our hope, we are not allowing ourselves to relax just yet.”
