Barnacle Geese in Scotland 2024-2025
These tri-coloured birds are numerous in Scotland—they bark as if they were dogs and are believed to have originated from mollusks in Scottish folklore
Best time: September–mid-April
According to Scottish folklore barnacle geese are believed to have originated from a mollusk that lived on the "barnacle tree"—hence comes the name of the bird. Such an unusual origin is really quite dubious. Some believe the Scottish people just made it up in order to eat meat during Lent as though it were actually shellfish. Even though barnacle geese actually originate from birds, their weird calls are truly reminiscent of yapping dogs. Around 25,000 of these black, grey, and white birds are found between September and mid-April in the southern Orkney Isles, in the Hebrides, and also on the western coasts and further into Solway Firth.
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