The migrating geese spectacle at region's wetlands

The annual events attract bird watchers and photographers to the wetlands

Large numbers of pink-footed geese have been arriving in the north-west of England on their annual migration from Iceland to the UK.

They have been spotted in large formations over the skies across the region in recent weeks as they head further south.

Thousands of the species spend the winter in the UK and one of the places they stop off on their journey to refuel is Martin Mere Wetland Centre in Burscough, Lancashire.

Centre manager Nick Brooks said the geese arrive and depart in a large, synchronized flock.

Thousands of migrating birds stop to refuel at Martin Mere Wetland Centre

"You keep your eye on the weather because when you see the northerly wind coming from Iceland you know that all these pinkfeet have been sat, along with whooper swans, on the bottom of Iceland waiting for a good wind to jump off and come here," he said.

"You always know that the next day you're just going to hear that cacophony of sound. "

Seeing flocks of birds "does something to your soul", Cornelius Jones says

Cornelius Jones, an apprentice at the wetland centre, said seeing the birds every day and "just being a part of their lives" was "fantastic".

"A flock of whooper swans or a flock of geese flying in over the evening. That does something to your soul," he said.

The geese feed on a variety of crops including grain, potatoes and cereals

He explained how Martin Mere was "just a pit stop" for a lot of pink-footed geese as they head further down the country.

"So they come down from Iceland and Greenland, stop off for a few days, get some spuds, feed up, get stronger for the journey south."

The pink-footed geese arrive in the UK from Iceland

The pink-footed goose eat a variety of crops including grain, potatoes, and sugar beet tops, as well as grasses and cereals.

And their arrival in Lancashire draws birders from far and wide.

One visitor who had been waiting for the evening's arrivals said: "Even though these birds are quite ordinary that we're watching at the moment, they're fighting and they're feeding and they're squabbling with each other, it's just great fun to come and try and take some pictures."

The geese, also spotted over Liverpool, are migrating south for the winter

Another visitor said: "It is really heartening to see the thousands of geese in one place coming back year after year."

Martin Mere caters for all ages all year round but it is open free of charge from 17:00-19:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays until the end of October.