The Bean Goose survives on grass, cereals, potatoes and other crops. It winters on our shores in small numbers, with Mid-Yare Nature Reserve being a particularly good spot to see them from October to March. Around 500 bean Geese winter in Britain each year.
Autumn gatherings of birds depart for Norfolk at intervals during mid-November to mid-December, but with late cold weather arrivals into January. Despite often impressive numbers here the proportion of juveniles tends to be low. Perhaps most geese with families halt at an earlier stage in their migration.
The bean Goose breeds in north Scandinavia, north Russia and north Asia and visits Britain in small numbers in autumn and winter. Most of the birds that winter here come from Scandinavia, where the breeding population has declined in the last 20 years. Possible reasons for this decline include increased human disturbance, changes in agriculture and direct persecution.
