Greenland White-fronted Geese

In 2009, Director Sue Sheaffer and LRWC Research Scientist Rich Malecki joined a 13-person expedition to Greenland.  The expedition partnered LRWC with participants from the National Environmental Research Institute (Denmark), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (UK), the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (UK), the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Ireland), BirdWatch Ireland, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  The expedition was part of a collaborative research effort for the declining population of Greenland white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons flavirostris).  Our role was to outfit geese with satellite transmitters that will track their migrations over the Greenland ice cap.  The information collected from these birds will alow us to identify importand habitats and stopover locations along the way that need to be protected. 

Although most populations of greater white-fronted geese are doing just fine, the relatively small population (currently <30,000 birds) that breeds in Greenland has been a conservation concern for many years.   These birds winter exclusively in Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and are one of the rarest species of geese to winter in the United Kingdom.  This population has declined by almost 30% over the last 10 years, yet the causes of the decline are not known with certainty.  Suspected are late spring weather conditions that have limited annual reproduction, and increased competition for nest sites on the breeding range from an expanding population of breeding Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in southwestern Greenland.  The focus of the expedition was to capture and mark not only white-fronted geese, but also Canada geese.

 
The transmittters for this project are solar powered, with a built-in solar panel across the top of the unit to keep the battery charged.   Inside the transmitter there is a GPS receiver to record the daily locations of the birds, and a satellite transmitter that sends the data to an orbiting satellite.  There also is a small microprocessor that can be programmed to tell the unit when to collect a GPS location and when to download data to the satellites.   The technology is pretty amazing, as the entire transmitter weighs only 45 grams.   The transmitters are programmed to collect six GPS locations each day, and the locations are downloaded to an orbiting satellite every three days.  The data are subsequently emailed to the LRWC office, where we can monitor the movements of the white-fronts anywhere they go.

Our trip to Greenland opened several doors for the LRWC overseas.  Unfortunately, we were able to mark only 2 adult white-fronts with satellite transmitters while we were in Greenland.  In addition, both birds managed to chew through their harness and drop their transmitters right before fall migration.  We didn't give up; however, and after we modified the harness to make it more resistant to the strong bills of the white-fronts, we headed to their wintering grounds in December to deploy the remaining 4 transmitters.  Our travels took us to the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve in southeastern Ireland, where approximately 60% of the Greenland population winters.  While we were in Ireland, we caught 2 groups of white-fronts, and we outfitted 4 adult males with satellite transmitters.   The transmitters have been working great, and the recent data demonstrate how the birds use the local agricultural fields to feed during the day, and how they head for the offshore sandbars to roost at night.  We are eagerly anticipating the tracking of these birds as they make their spring migration back to the breeding grounds in Greenland. 

Check out the slide show for photos of our Greenland expedition!

Weekly Avian Update

Update on the geese 

Four Greenland white-fronted geese were captured on the winter range in Ireland in December of 2009 and outfitted with solar GPS satellite transmitters.  All four birds provided great data on movements and habitat use throughout the winter, and they all began spring migration on April 9, 2010.  Observations from ground observers indicated that bird 95715 managed to chew through part of his harness during the winter, and as luck would have it, he dropped his transmitter in the ocean off the west coast of Ireland, just as he began spring migration.  The other three birds headed to Iceland, which is a the major stopover destination where the birds refuel for the arduous trip over the Greenland ice cap.  Two of the birds made it to Iceland by April 10th.  The third, (bird 95716) missed Iceland, and landed in the open ocean.  We lost contact with him 6 days later.  The white-fronted geese arrived in Iceland during the height of the 2010 volcanic eruption that filled the sky with ash.  Although we will never know why bird 95716 missed Iceland, it is possible that his flight was affected by the volcanic activity.  

Birds 98652 and 98653 rested in Iceland for about two weeks, and then successfully completed their migration back to the breeding grounds in western Greenland.  After spending the summer in Greenland, they both completed a fall migration back to Ireland in mid October.  Bird 98652 perished in January, 2011.  The transmitter was recovered in a field, but the cause of death could not be determined. 

Bird 98653 is alive and well, still carrying a transmitter.  He recently began spring migration on April 8, 2011.  After a month's rest in Iceland, he arrived on the breeding grounds in western Greenland on May 6, 2011.  This fall he left Greenland in late September, and after a month's rest in Iceland, he completed a successful fall migration back to Ireland in mid October.  

Click on the following links to download kml files to view an interactive map.  You must have Google Earth installed on your computer to view these maps.       Updated: 05/13/11

                                   Bird 95715          Bird 95716          Bird 98652          Bird 98653