Appeal for help as geese fitted with GPS collars as part of new project

People in Orkney are being asked to look out for greylag geese with special GPS collars.

It is part of an international project to understand more about the Icelandic population, which winter in the UK, particularly in Orkney and the north-east of Scotland.

Greylag geese have long been the scourge of farmers across Orkney due to the significant damage they cause to crops, and are shot to limit the damage.

There have been repeated calls from NFU Scotland for tougher action and increased funding when it comes to reducing the extensive impact of greylag geese on crops.

Counts suggest numbers of Icelandic geese have recently declined, and as a result the population is considered at risk.

However, mathematical modelling using the annual cull data from Iceland suggests the population could be up to four-and-a-half times bigger.

To investigate further, 80 GPS collars will be attached to greylag geese in Iceland this summer and next.

Alastair MacGugan, NatureScot wildlife management manager, said: “People in Orkney and north-east Scotland can help this vital project by looking out for these GPS collars.

“We’d ask anyone who finds a collar on a dead bird or shoots a greylag goose with a collar to please get in touch with their local NatureScot office so that it can be retrieved.”

Birds with collars will also have leg rings. Members of the public are also being asked to report the leg ring from any shot or found dead birds to the British Trust for Ornithology using this link.

To report a collar to the local NatureScot office, please email: NORTH@nature.scot