A large flock of wild geese feeding steadily across a field is a delight to the eyes of most birdwatchers. The reaction of the farmer whose crop they may be reducing in value can be quite different. A nature-reserve manager might set out to increase the number of geese feeding in a nature reserve as part of a programme of securing the conservation status of a migratory population of geese. A knowledge of how to manage grasslands to attract and sustain a population of wild geese is important to all.