In fact, almost 100% of the World population of pale-bellied Brent Goose overwinter in Ireland with the most significant numbers being found in Strangford Lough, Co. Down.

Seen here foraging and in flight, the best place to observe these birds is along the coast, on inlets of the sea and estuaries. It's now late March and within weeks most of Ireland's Brent geese will have returned to Canada, staying there until September. Breeding during the summer in northeastern Canada, they will increase their mass by over 25% in preparation for the 3000km flight to Ireland. The family unit will stay together until safely across the Atlantic, stopping off in Greenland and Iceland.

Virtually all of them will arrive at Strangford Lough (in 2004 over 32,000 wintered here) and will spend the Autumn and early Winter feeding on eel grass. After a few months much of the population move on to other wetland sites around the Irish coast including Wexford and Dublin Bay where large numbers can be seen on grassy spaces in housing estates as well as along the coast.

The Irish name is Cadhan which is probably the origin of the surname Coyne.