As the seasons begin to turn, we prepare to bid farewell to the thousands of barnacle geese that have spent the winter on the Solway. For a few short months each year, around 40,000 of these remarkable birds make the coastline of Dumfries and Galloway their home before beginning the long journey north to their breeding grounds in Svalbard.
Their migration is extraordinary. Travelling more than 2,000 miles, the geese move together across vast distances, navigating changing weather, landscapes and challenges along the way. Watching them gather, take flight and travel in formation is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved through collective movement and shared purpose.
Over the past year, through The Stove Network’s Moving Stories project, we’ve been exploring how people move across our region and what those journeys mean to them. Listening to people’s stories has revealed just how important everyday movement is in shaping our sense of connection to place and to one another.
Many of the stories share a common thread. Whether walking, wheeling, cycling, scooting or taking the bus, movement often creates opportunities for connection. Big or small, these moments of conversation, shared experience and chance encounter bring people together.
During migration, barnacle geese demonstrate behaviours that mirror the qualities on which strong communities rely: collaboration, encouragement, shared leadership, commitment and collective strength. Each bird plays its part, and together they are able to travel extraordinary distances.
At a time when many people are experiencing isolation, disconnection and growing environmental anxiety, the geese offer a hopeful reminder of what becomes possible when we move together.
That idea has inspired a new challenge for our region.
This year, as the geese prepare for their journey to Svalbard, we’re inviting communities across Dumfries and Galloway to take part in Journey with the Wild Geese – a regional community movement challenge inspired by their migration.
Together, we’ll aim to match the incredible distance travelled by the flock. Collectively, the 40,000 geese journeying from the Solway to Svalbard cover around 80,000,000 miles.
By walking, wheeling, cycling or scooting, on your own or with others, you can be part of something extraordinary. Every mile logged moves us closer to our goal as we track our collective progress and imagine travelling alongside the geese on their journey north.
Together, We’ll Fly.