Saving wetlands for wildlife & people

Surveys

A complete list of GSMP surveys for which volunteer fieldworkers can assist with data collection is provided in the table below. Click on any survey name for further information about the survey, as well as resources to download such as count forms and methodological guidelines. Surveys for goose populations not listed below, such as Bean Goose and Svalbard Barnacle Goose, are organised by local study groups or professional organisations because of their restricted distribution, and the scope for volunteer input is therefore limited. Results from all of these surveys are available under the relevant Species account.

An essential part of all of these surveys is the collection of information relating to the standardisation of count units. It is fundamentally important that counts are correctly attributed to a precise area and are collected using a standardised approach over time. The Count Unit Definition Inventory (CUDI) collates such information for all count sites; effectively an atlas of all count site boundaries.

If you are interested in taking part in any of the following surveys, please view the interactive map for information on where each survey is conducted. Some surveys are co-ordinated by other organisations/groups. Information on how to make contact with them is provided in the relevant section for these surveys. Further information can be obtained from the Waterbird Monitoring Unit at WWT Slimbridge.

Survey/Project Frequency Species Account Date of next count
Mute Swan Census 5-10 yearly Mute Swan No agreed date at present
International Swan Census 5-yearly Bewick’s Swan and Whooper Swan January 2010
Icelandic-breeding Goose Census Annual Iceland Greylag Goose  and Greenland/Iceland Pink-footed Goose 4/5 October, 1/2 November and 6/7 December 2008
Greenland White-fronted Goose Census Annual Greenland White-fronted Goose Winter 2008/09 dates to be announced
NW Scotland Greylag Goose Survey 9-yearly NW Scotland Greylag Goose Scottish Greylag Goose Survey planned for summer 2008
Scottish Greylag Goose Survey Currently planned for 2008; future surveys undetermined NW Scotland Greylag Goose
and Re-established Greylag Goose
July and August 2008
UK-breeding Greylag Goose Survey Annual NW Scotland Greylag Goose  and Re-established Greylag Goose Summer 2008
Naturalised Goose Survey 9-yearly All non-native goose species in UK, and Re-established Greylag Goose August 2009 (provisional)
International Census of Greenland Barnacle Geese 5-yearly Greenland Barnacle Goose Spring 2013 (provisional)
All-Ireland Light-bellied Brent Goose Census Annual East Canadian High Arctic Light-bellied Brent Goose Winter 2008/09 dates to be announced
Age assessments Annual All species/populations Click here to view a table of sampling periods for each species
Colour-marking Annual All species/populations Ongoing
 




The Goose & Swan Monitoring Programme (GSMP) monitors numbers and breeding success of geese and swans in the UK during the non-breeding season. GSMP is organised by WWT on behalf of WWT and JNCC.

Email: monitoring@wwt.org.uk