Dark bellied Brent geese commute annually between their summer breeding grounds in Siberia and their winter refuge on the coasts of western Europe, several hundred in the Exe estuary.
Their preferred food is eel grass, which grows between the high and low tide marks in the estuary. When the water is low they graze on this.
When high water drives them ashore, they gather in hundreds on Bowling Green Marsh or Exminster marshes, sometimes crossing the river in large flocks to shift between these two areas. Smaller groups separate off to search for food in the short grass of Dawlish Warren golf course (main picture).