Barnacle Geese in Slow Motion Flying Over Edinburgh, Scotland
Tuesday, 6 January 2026
This is amazing footage.
Occasionally barnacle geese, usually keen to keep to the British
coastline when in flight, as forced inland because of poor weather. When they do, the lucky inhabitants of cities
like Edinburgh will be lucky enough to witness the flight of a whole flock as
they make their way further north. The
sight is something to behold from the ground, so just imagine if you were in
the sky with the geese! Well, imagine no more because thanks to John Downer Productions, you can now
see these remarkable birds doing what
they do best. If this seems familiar,
you may have seen it while watching the Earthflight TV series, which was called
Winged Planet in the US. The result is more
than a little jaw meets floor to say the least.
Edinburgh’s sites are not the only thing barnacle geese
might see as they complete their annual migration. The Svalbard population (the
most likely to be in our video) of barnacle geese migrates annually between the
high Arctic and western Scotland. They breed during the short summer in Svalbard,
where predator pressure is low, then begin their autumn migration in September,
flying south across the Norwegian Sea. The geese winter mainly in south-west
Scotland, particularly the Solway Firth, with smaller numbers dispersing along
the east coast and occasionally over Edinburgh. In spring (April–May), they
return north via the Norwegian coast to Svalbard, completing a round journey of
around 3,000 kilometres. This remarkable migration is typically undertaken in
tight family groups, forming the distinctive V-shaped skeins often seen
crossing Scottish skies.
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