A group of countryside organisations have come together to protect rare geese in Caithness.
Wildfowlers are being urged to take care of Greenland white-fronted geese which visit farmland in the far north during winter months
About 200 of these scarce visitors spend the winter months in Caithness each year and RSPB Scotland, NFU Scotland and the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) are urging their members and supporters to keep an eye out for them.
RSPB Scotland’s Alison Searl said, “Greenland white-fronted geese are a protected species that are in rapid decline.
“A small but very important population of these geese regularly spend the winter months on farmland in Caithness. The adults have a very distinctive white blaze of feathers around the bill and black-streaked under-parts.
“With a reasonable view the adults can be easily distinguished from the much more common greylag and pink-footed geese that also spend their winters in Caithness. Unlike Greenland white-fronted geese, these two species are legal quarry when in season.”
She said the juvenile birds lack the distinctive markings of older birds and could potentially be shot accidentally by wildfowlers hunting for other types of geese.
Ian Wilson of NFU Scotland said, “The farmland of Caithness is rich in wildlife and local farmers are proud that it provides a refuge for these special birds during the cold months when they migrate here from the Arctic.
“We fully support the advice that BASC and RSPB Scotland are providing to help our members stay within the law and prevent the accidental shooting of any Greenland white-fronted geese.”
