Damage to Winter Cereals by Greylag and Pink-Footed Geese in North-East Scotland

(…) Yields of grain and straw significantly lower in grazed than in ungrazed areas of several, but not all, wheat and barley fields. Yields were significantly lower in fields with high intensities of goose grazing, but grazing in at least of the fields studied was below that required to cause loss of yield. The amount of weed was significantly higher in grazed than in ungrazed areas in three fields of each crop and increased significantly with intensity of grazing. The median distance between goose roosting and feeding sites was 2-5 km and most geese fed within 10 km of their roost. (…)