The passage of wild geese on the coast of Bessin

The wild geese had begun to head south, with a delay noticed by Dominique Loir of the LPO. A major flight was observed on a Thursday over the German battery of Longues-sur-Mer. The following Saturday, several hundred birds flew over the Pointe de la Percée, while smaller groups passed here and there. The newspaper estimated that a large part of the passage took place offshore, at a rate of about ten geese for a glimpse from the coast.

On Sunday morning, cravant bernaches had stopped on the waters of the Port-en-Bessin basin. These small geese from the Arctic seemed unimpressed by the crowd of the market, which allowed them to be observed up close.

Dominique Loir, however, invited not to see in these observations the certain announcement of a great cold. Temperatures remained abnormally mild in Scandinavia as in Bessin. As long as the birds found food, they could extend their stay; other factors, including light, were also expected to lead them to migrate. According to this analysis, a sudden arrival of cold would cause a massive departure, while mildness would lead to a more staggered migration.

Reconstructed or uncertain passages:
- The file name places the cut in 2014. The printed fragment does not provide a complete date to date the observations of Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Archive image: https://vierville.cordelle.eu/PhDoc8/2014OiesMigration.jpg