British Winter Wildfowl: Geese, Swans and Ducks

From October to March, geese, swans and ducks from Iceland, Greenland and Arctic Russia pack into British wetlands. The birds are big, the numbers are large and most sites have hides.

Updated 6 October 2026

The winter wildfowl calendar

Geese

Pink-footed Goose

Around half a million Pink-footed Geese winter in Britain. They are small grey geese with a dark head, a short bill banded pink and pink legs. The high "wink-wink" call carries a long way. Watch them leave the roost at first light at Holkham and Snettisham in Norfolk, WWT Martin Mere in Lancashire or Montrose Basin in Angus. Mid October to mid March, peaking November to February.

Barnacle Goose

Black, white and grey, with a white face. The whole Svalbard population, around 40,000 Barnacle Geese, winters on the Solway Firth. WWT Caerlaverock is the place to see them. A separate Greenland population winters on Islay and other Scottish islands.

Brent Goose

Brent Goose is small and dark, about the size of a Mallard, with a white neck mark. There are two forms. Dark-bellied birds from Russia use the Essex, Kent and Hampshire coasts. Light-bellied birds winter at Lindisfarne in Northumberland (from Svalbard) and in Ireland (from Canada). Look on estuaries with eelgrass.

Grey geese compared

• Greylag Goose: the largest, with a heavy orange bill and pale forewing. Resident in much of Britain, with wild Icelandic birds in Scotland.
• White-fronted Goose: white blaze round the bill and black bars on the belly. Russian birds at Slimbridge, Greenland birds on Islay.
• Bean Goose: scarce. Like a large, dark Pink-foot with orange on the bill and orange legs.
• Canada Goose and Egyptian Goose: introduced residents. Present all year.

Swans

Mute Swan is the resident, with an orange bill and curved neck. The two wild swans have black and yellow bills and hold their necks straight.

• Whooper Swan: from Iceland. As big as a Mute Swan. The yellow on the bill runs forward in a point past the nostril. Easy at Martin Mere, Welney and Caerlaverock.
• Bewick's Swan: from Arctic Russia. Smaller, with a shorter neck and a rounded yellow patch that stops short of the nostril. Now scarce: the north-west European population has more than halved since 1995, and Slimbridge logged only 102 individuals all winter in 2025/26.

WWT Welney in Norfolk runs floodlit swan feeds on winter evenings. Side by side: Mute vs Whooper vs Bewick's Swan.

Ducks

A good winter wetland can give you a dozen duck species in a visit. Sort them by how they feed.

Dabbling ducks

They feed at the surface or upend, and spring straight up when flushed. Wigeon graze in tight flocks and the drakes whistle. Teal is the smallest. Pintail is slim, with a long neck and tail. Shoveler has the huge bill. Gadwall looks grey until you see the black stern. Mallard you know.

Diving ducks

They dive from the surface and patter along the water to take off. Tufted Duck is black and white with a crest. Pochard has a chestnut head and grey body. Goldeneye has a white cheek spot and a peaked head. Scaup is a coastal bird like a large, grey-backed Tufted Duck.

Sawbills

Fish eaters with thin, toothed bills. Goosander is on rivers and reservoirs, Red-breasted Merganser on the coast. Smew is the prize: the drake is white with fine black lines. It is now a scarce winter visitor, mostly to gravel pits and reservoirs in south-east England in cold weather, and it is never guaranteed.

Sea ducks

Eider, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter and Long-tailed Duck winter offshore. The best counts are in eastern Scotland, north-east England and north Norfolk. Take a scope.

Best winter wildfowl sites

• WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire: White-fronted Geese, Wigeon, Pintail, Cranes and the last Bewick's.
• WWT Caerlaverock, Dumfries and Galloway: Barnacle Geese and Whooper Swans.
• WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire: Pink-feet and Whoopers. See the North West guide.
• RSPB Titchwell Marsh and RSPB Snettisham, Norfolk: Brents, ducks, sea ducks offshore and the Wash goose roost.
• RSPB Leighton Moss, Lancashire: Teal, Pintail and Shoveler, with Morecambe Bay next door.
• Rutland Water: one of the best inland sites for diving ducks, Goldeneye and Goosander.
• RSPB Minsmere and RSPB Ham Wall: dabbling ducks on the scrapes and reedbed pools.
• Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire: a major Pink-foot roost in autumn.

Getting more from a visit

• Dawn and dusk: geese fly between the roost and the fields in the half hour either side of sunrise and sunset.
• Check the tide: on estuaries, a rising tide pushes ducks and Brents closer.
• Scan every flock: rarities such as Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon and Ring-necked Duck hide among the common birds. More in our rare birds guide.
• Bird flu: winter is peak season for avian influenza. Do not touch dead or sick birds, and report dead wild waterbirds to Defra.
• Kit: binoculars are enough in a hide. Open water needs a scope.

Arrival dates are in our migration guide, and the November guide covers the peak month.