The geese migrate between Scotland and Svalbard in Norway, staging predominantly in Helgeland en route in the Spring - with up to 15 per cent visiting Vesteralen further to the north, and Bear Island on the Autumn return. If they survive extreme weather on their journey and manage to avoid the hunters, these geese are vulnerable to land use changes affecting the availability of food, and the potential effects of climate change on their arctic breeding grounds.
Each winter, the entire population of the Svalbard Barnacle Goose arrives on the Solway Firth, with up to half of the population feeding at WWT Caerlaverock Wetland Centre. The journey from the Solway Firth (wintering grounds) to Svalbard (breeding grounds) is 2,000 miles and the whole population of geese currently make the journey every year.
The population of the Svalbard Barnacle Goose has been the subject of one of the most intensive and longest-running individual-based studies in the world. After more than 45 years of research and observation we have learnt a great deal about this bird, a powerful tool in the bid to conserve it.
A major EU funded project (FRAGILE) was set up to model the future effects of land use and climate change on the populations of Svalbard barnacle geese and Pink-footed geese in north-western Europe.
Four geese were fitted with transmitters in Spring 2006 for this project, nine more during Winter 2006/07, and a further two in March 08 - 3 of which are being used for the BBC Radio 4 World On the Move 'Top Goose' migration project.
For the first time recorded WWT successfully tracked two of the geese, Sir Peter and Magnar through a complete migratory cycle from their wintering grounds to breeding grounds and back again. These two surviving birds answered long-standing questions about site use along the international flyway in this successful pilot project.
As the project progressed it became clear that there were still major gaps in our knowledge of the sites used by Barnacle Geese on moving from the spring stopover sites in Helgeland or Vesteralen, Norway, to arrival on their breeding grounds in Svalbard. By utilising the latest state of the art technology we are beginning to fill in these gaps.
Join WWT today and support our work with Svalbard barnacle geese.