Ask a Birder

Ask a Birder: Why Did The Population of Dutch Geese Explode Over The Last 40 Years?

May 14, 2025 by Peter No Comments

When I set my first steps towards becoming a birder, Greylag Geese were no longer a breeding species in The Netherlands. Thanks to SOVON who do incredible monitoring work we have been able to track their meteoric rise since that depressing low point.

Geese are now everywhere. However, according to Crane’s Law: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. For at the same time, the population of Black-tailed Godwit – the national bird – has plummeted.

So, why? Geese, like inner city hipsters, are vegetarians. Godwits need insects. “Modern” agriculture has all but eliminated biodiversity. The monotonous fields of a single species of protein-rich grass have allowed for the tiny Netherlands to be the world’s second food-exporting nation. Neonicotinoid pesticides have eliminated the remaining few insects. Result: an all-you-can-eat buffet for geese while the godwits are starving. The solution is obvious: shoot the geese. Sorry, …what…??

Written by Peter
Peter Penning is a sustainability management consultant who spends many weeks abroad away from his homes in The Netherlands (work) and Portugal (holidays). Although work distracts him regularly from the observation of birds, he has managed to see a great many species regardless. He firmly believes in the necessity of birders to contribute to conservation. He passively supports BirdLife in the Netherlands and South Africa and actively in Portugal as treasurer of SPEA – Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves. Peter likes to meet people and have good after-birding lunches which has seriously hampered his ability to build up a truly impressive life list. Somehow, he doesn’t care.