Numbers of Greenland white-fronted geese wintering around Loch Ken on the Solway Firth in Scotland, near WWT’s Caerlaverock Wetland Centre, have dwindled from some 400 to just 175 this winter. The population is clearly declining rapidly, and the local distribution of birds at sites such as Loch Ken is also changing.
WWT, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the RSPB have got together to look at developing a management plan for the areas used by the geese around Loch Ken and Threave in Scotland.
The project will use satellite-tracking technology to enable us to gain a complete knowledge of all the sites used by the geese so that their importance can be assessed.
Four Greenland white-fronted geese were caught and fitted with satellite transmitters in late February 2008 at Loch Ken by WWT researchers. Three of these geese are also part of the BBC World On the Move Top Goose challenge.
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