GPS tracking has revealed for the first time the migration of Scotland’s only bean goose flock.
Scientists from WWT, commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), fitted tracking devices to six taiga bean geese on the Slamannan plateau last winter.
Detailed data from the 19 gram GPS tags tracked the birds’ movement daily within Scotland and then across the North Sea, through Denmark and Norway and finally to Sweden.
Once common in Scotland, bean geese have become extremely rare over the past century and now just one flock of about 250 birds winters on the Slamannan plateau near Falkirk. Only one other, even smaller, flock winters in the UK in Norfolk.
Carl Mitchell of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust said:
"Understanding the daily movements and migration route of Scotland’s only regular flock of bean geese in relation to proposed wind turbine developments is essential to safeguard this important population. Discovering stopover locations on their spring migration and their breeding grounds has filled a huge gap in our understanding of the life cycle of these geese."
When the geese left Scotland in late February, they spent a further month feeding on stubble fields in Jylland, northwest Denmark before the next leg of their migration.
In late March, the flock travelled to fields 40km north east of Oslo, Norway, where they fed for two weeks before moving 200km further north to the forested Dalarna County of west Sweden. Here they have settled in what is thought to be their breeding grounds.
Pupils from Slamannan and Greengairs primary schools have followed the birds’ story from tagging through to arriving in Dalarna County. The children have been involved in the bean goose project for several years, learning about netting geese for tagging, GPS tracking, and international bird populations, and making artwork, puppets and a short film about the geese. It is hoped that six or so of the pupils will be able to travel to Sweden in 2014.
Caroline Crawford, SNH project officer, said:
“It was quite exciting to track the geese and finally learn their route home to breed after all these years. This information will be crucial to help us understand and protect these special birds. It was also terrific to have all the children involved, learning about these special geese and seeing their enthusiasm and wonderful art.”
Angus Maciver, of the Bean Goose Action Group said:
"It has been a very interesting winter following the distribution of the tagged bean geese on the Slamannan Plateau and relating that to our previous knowledge. Their spring migration has been exciting to watch with new information on the birds’ whereabouts being discovered every other day."
Allison Leonard of RSPB Scotland said:
“It’s great that this technology allows us to inform conservation and education in this way. With each download from the collars, we have learned just a little bit more about the geese, helping us to protect them in their wintering and breeding grounds."
See the birds’ migration route online.
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