Will avian influenza spell the end for Cleethorpes' rare flock of barnacle geese?

Finger crossed, the Cleethorpes barnacle geese have so far been unaffected by bird flu

                                                                        

AN uncertain future beckons for Cleethorpes' rare flock of barnacle geese.

The birds are known to be highly vulnerable to avian influenza, with at least 5,000 having perished since autumn last year at sites near the Solway Firth south of Dumfries in Scotland.

Where they occur in most parts of the UK, the species is migratory, coming here in autumn and winter from breeding habitats in Norway.

But the Cleethorpes birds stay all the year round because the migratory instinct seems to have mysteriously been bred out of their genetic make-up.

So far, there are thought to have been no casualties from bird flu and the flock number, as of this week, stands at about 114 - probably as high as it has ever been.

Traditionally, their home has been the town's boating lake, but in recent weeks they have been bullied off the water by the larger Canada geese and mute swans.

They are therefore biding their time on grassy areas to the south of the lake, outside the Meridian centre or on the caravan site adjacent to the miniature railway station.