Establishing Canada Geese in West Kent and their use of nesting rafts

Abstract

In June 1956 the first 19 Canada Geese were collected from the Wildfowl Trust and placed on two industrial ballast waters, one of 10 acres, the other of 40 acres, about a mile apart in the Darenth valley near Sevenoaks. All the geese settled down at once and of the 12 placed on the larger water, four which were half-grown goslings were cared for by the adults, which appeared to make excellent foster-parents. Nine were feather pinioned to prevent wandering and by the end of the winter only one bird had left, although by early February a few were flying between the two waters and one pair moved to a third ballast water just to the west near Chipstead.