On the search for grasslands: long distance dispersal of spring-staging Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis) from a farmland area in Southeast Denmark

• Published in: Journal of Ornithology
• Main Authors: Madsen, Jesper, Pedersen, Jesper, Cao, Lei, Clausen, Kevin Kuhlmann
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Branta leucopsis; GPS tagging; Movement ecology; Salt marsh management; Spring habitat selection; Arctic
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/on-the-search-for-grasslands-long-distance-dispersal-of-springstaging-barnacle-geese-branta-leucopsis-from-a-farmland-area-in-southeast-denmark(3b18cfc1-71d0-4d64-8654-4425f0e03a0c).html; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-021-01952-3

Barnacle Geese wintering in an intensively farmed area in Southeast Denmark were GPS-tagged in early March. Tagged geese selected large open (especially permanent) grasslands above relative availability and close to their roosts, although winter cereals were also used. During March and April all tagged birds left the area and moved to coastal grasslands in other parts of Denmark, the German Wadden Sea or southern Sweden, some up to 210 km diametrically opposite to the main migratory direction towards the Russian Arctic. The unexpected long distance dispersal may be caused by lack of suitable short-grazed coastal grasslands in the study area. Barnacle Geese wintering in an intensively farmed area in Southeast Denmark were GPS tagged in early March. Twenty tagged geese selected large open (especially permanent) grasslands above relative availability and close to their roosts, although winter cereals were also used. During March and April all tagged birds left the area and moved to coastal grasslands in other parts of Denmark, the German Wadden Sea or Southern Sweden, some up to 210 km diametrically opposite to the main migratory direction towards the Russian Arctic. The unexpected long distance dispersal may be caused by lack of suitable short-grazed coastal grasslands in the study area.