Geese are large migratory birds which are found only in the colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere. They are social birds, gathering in large flocks in the autumn and winter. Each flock is made up of many closely-knit family units. They have long necks like swans. Geese feed mostly by grazing and because of this they are much better adapter to walking on land than are swans. Their legs are longer and their feet smaller. Their bill is serrated, like a saw, to enable them to pluck grass from the ground. There are many different types of geese throughout the world and about ten types are found in Europe. Of this ten, six are regularly found in Ireland. These are the greylag goose, the Greenland white-fronted goose, the pin-footed goose, the barnacal goose, and the Canada goose. The greylag goose is the only species of wild goose which thought ever to have bred in this country. It seems to have got its name from the fact that it lagged behind after other geese migrated North in spring. Only feral greylags now nest here, in two places: at Castlecoole, Co Fermanagh, and in Strangford Lough, Co Down. The nearest place to Ireland where wild greylags now nest is in Northern Scotland.
 

These geese are grey-brown and light in colour on the belly. The feathers have white tips so that the bird has a striped or mottled appearance. The bill is orange and the feet and legs are pink. The average bird weighs about three to four kilos. Greylags are birds of the open country they are as happy on land as they are in the air, though of course they also spend a lot of time on water. They migrate in skeins (small flocks) keeping a V-shaped formation and with an old bird leading the way. They leave their breeding grounds in Iceland, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe in the autumn to spend the winter in warmer countries of Southern and Western Europe.  In the past as many as 10,000 greylags could be counted on the Slobs of Wexford, but now only an occasional bird is seen there. Irelands present total population is estimated at only 1,000birds. We do not know the exact reason why we have fewer greylag geese nowadays, but the drainage of  many wetland areas in recent years and increasing human disturbance must have a lot to do with it. The main haunts for greylags are at Broad Lough and Poulaphouca Reservoir, Co Wicklow, at Coolfin in Waxford and on Lambay Island, off Dublin, all on the East coast. In addition, a flock of 200 usually spends the winter on the shores of Lough Foyle. Though the graylag is a shy wary bird in the world, it is easily tamed.Almost all the domestic breeds of geese are descended from wild greylags.
 

Greenland White-fronted Goose