tions of Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Geese Anser erythropus in Sweden and the West
Recent telemetry studies and older Finnish studies have purported that the remnants of the Fen-noscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose population (currently estimated at about 20 breeding pairs) first migrate east to the Kanin Peninsula or the mouth of Ob river, and even as far as the eastern part of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.668.7449 http://vofnet.norrlandsnatur.se/files/Mooij+et+al_+Analysis+of+historical+observations.pdf |
| Summary: | Recent telemetry studies and older Finnish studies have purported that the remnants of the Fen-noscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose population (currently estimated at about 20 breeding pairs) first migrate east to the Kanin Peninsula or the mouth of Ob river, and even as far as the eastern part of the Taimyr Peninsula to moult. Subsequently, they migrate via northern Russia and the Baltic States to eastern Germany and from there via Hungary to Greece. It has also been suggested that the birds of the re-established Swedish Lesser White-front Goose population were imprinted on a completely new migratory route by their Barnacle Goose foster-parents. To study if this view is correct, historical literature sources as well as observations of Lesser White-fronted Geese in Sweden were collected and analysed. To exclude birds of the re-established Swedish population only data of the period 1900 – 1981 were used. A total of 353 observations of more than 3,600 individuals were collected and analysed. These data were insufficient to delineate exact migration routes within the Atlantic flyway, south of the former breeding range. Regular occurrence at frequently checked sites, and numbers involved as well, still in the 1960s, strongly indicated, however, that such routes have existed. Consequently, there is no scientific basis to state that the Swedish re-established Lesser White-fronted Geese follow an unnatural migration route. Instead, it is likely that these birds revived a traditional migration route. |
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