Winter site fidelity in Greenland white-fronted geese Anser albifrons flavirostris, implications for conservation and management

Abstract

Greenland white-fronted geese ringed in a small area of W Greenland dispersed widely over the wintering area in Scotland and Ireland. As with a larger number of geese ringed at the main wintering site at the Wexford Slobs, SE Ireland, they were extremely site-faithful in winter. Some 85% of the birds observed in successive winters returned to the same sites. Within the same winter, <1% of the geese moved between sites, and most such moves were associated with autumnal staging en route to final destinations. Moreover, geese showed individual and specific preferences for very restricted parts of potential feeding areas. Such extreme site fidelity has major implications for conservation. Wide-scale scaring is an inappropriate management tool, and it is necessary to focus conservation actions on all traditional areas used by flocks. -from Authors