Kenzie's report on Pinkfooted Geese

Kenzie Thorpe sat on the steps of his house boat

Nowadays a little over 500,000 pinkfeet geese are thought to overwinter in the UK. Certainly where I live in Northumberland I see my fair share from flocks of a few dozen to many hundreds flying over at times. However, this was not always the case and Kenzie Thorpe shared the following figures in May 1964:

Kenzie reports on the Pinkfooted Goose on the Wash

1928 12,500 in West Norfolk

1939 10,750 in Fenland

1942 9,800 in Gedney Drove End

1962 5,550 in Holbeach, Spalding and District

In Scotland In England Total

1957 31,180 18,520 49,700

1958 28,300 20,000 48,300

1959 39,500 12,500 52,000

1960 32,540 14,460 47,000

1961 42,830 12,850 55,680

1962 44,760 13,120 57,880

1963 47,000 11,000 58,000

By 1968 there will be no Pink-footed geese on the Wash if we are not careful!

It should be noted that Kenzie Thorpe was not popular for pointing this out as by many wildfowlers he was deemed to have contributed greatly to the downfall of the pink-footed goose by his own gun. Colin Willock, in his biography of Kenzie addresses this point.