happy landings: A winter visitor to Scotland has been returning in record numbers.
Barnacle geese have been flocking in their thousands to RSPB Scotland's Mersehead Reserve in Dumfries and Galloway.
So far, 10,500 birds have been recorded compared to last year's figure of around 9000. The arrivals are giving further hope for the long-term recovery of the species after years of decline.
Mark O'Brien at RSPB Scotland said: ''We really are spoiled here in the Solway because to see hundreds of geese flying in at once is a wildlife spectacular not many get to appreciate.
''We've already had record numbers so far this season.
''What's great about seeing so many geese at this time of year is that they usually peak late in March.
''To see so many now could mean that March will just be a flutter with these well-travelled birds.''
Two of the three populations of barnacle geese in the world winter in Scotland.
The Solway flocks arrive from the Norwegian island of Svalbard.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the numbers of Barnacle geese fell drastically. Now they are a conservation success story.
Picture: Edward Jones
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