The Solway Firth in the UK attracts thousands of wintering waterbirds each winter, including Svalbard barnacle geese, pink footed geese, Greenland White fronted geese, brent geese, ducks, waders and swans.
The first Wild Goose Festival will be held in Dumfries, South West Scotland, 9 - 16 October 2020. It uses the migratory route of the Barnacle Geese between Svalbard and the Solway Firth to join people, nature and ideas. It builds on connections with The International Storytelling Festival, established last year for the Scotland and the Arctic Festival.
As part of the Wild Goose Festival, WWT Caerlaverock Wetland Centre will be holding a Wild Goose Weekend, 10-11 October. The reserve is on the Solway Firth and comprises saltmarsh, mudflats and grassland habitats. The reserve was set up in 1970 to protect the barnacle geese and every October up to 20,000 barnacle geese arrive from Svalbard, to spend the winter here. For more information on the Wild Goose Weekend, please see the website https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/caerlaverock/
The festival is supported by a number of local organisations, such as the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), Caerlaverock Wetland Centre, The Stove Network, Moat Brae, University of Glasgow, Creative Futures, Lochside and Lincluden, NatureScot (SNH), Scottish International Storytelling Festival, PAMIS - Promoting a More Inclusive Society.
For information on all the events, please see the website: https://thestove.org/wild-goose-festival/