Censuses of autumn staging and wintering goose populations in Sweden 1977/1978–2011/2012

Abstract

Field choice was recorded during counts of geese in South-west Scania, South Sweden in autumn (October and November) and in winter (January), 1977/1978–2011/2012. Sugar beet spill was the most important field type in autumn and during the last ten years also in winter. Bean Geese Anser fabalis used this food source when the study started while Canada Geese Branta canadensis, Greylag Geese Anser anser, White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons and Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis followed during the years 1987–2001. Potatoes were mainly used when fields with sugar beet spill were unavailable. Cereal stubbles were mainly used in autumn and to a quite low extent. Winter cereals were heavily used by most species in both autumn and winter during the first 15 years but less so thereafter. Grasslands were mainly used in winter, to a large extent by White-fronted Geese and to a quite high extent by Bean Geese and Barnacle Geese. The total use of oilseed rape was low, mainly by Canada Geese that utilised fields with no-till when the ground was snow-covered.

Changes in migration and wintering patterns of Greylag Geese Anser anser from southernmost Sweden during three decades

“…Traditionally, the Greylag Geese in mainland north-west Europe migrated along the east Atlantic coast via staging areas in The Netherlands to winter quarters in Spain, mainly the Guadalquivir Marismas in the south-west of the country (Nilsson et al 1999, Andersson et al 2001. Already during the early part of the study period, changes in the migration patterns and staging habits were recorded (Nilsson et al 1999, Andersson et al 2001, Nilsson 2006, Nilsson 2013. This change resulted in fewer geese from southern Sweden migrating to south-western Spain.…”

“…Like most other goose populations in Europe, the Greylag Goose Anser anser has shown a marked increase in numbers in recent decades (Nilsson et al 1999, Kampe-Persson 2002, 2010, Fox et al 2010, Nilsson 2013, Fox & Madsen 2017. The populations in mainland north-western Europe (the East Atlantic Flyway population) increased from about 200 000 in the early 1990s to more than 600 000 twenty years later (Fox et al 2010) and to 960 000 in the most recent report (Fox & Madsen 2017).…”

Fluctuations and trends in the numbers of staging waterbirds in south Sweden in September 1973–2013

“…The effects of climate change on the distribution of wintering waterbirds are well established through the analysis of the results of the International Midwinter Counts (Lehikoinen et al 2013, Nilsson 2008. The general warming of northern Europe can also affect the timing of migration and the use of different staging areas as has been established for different goose species (Nilsson, 2011, 2013a. If there are such changes in the timing of the autumn migration also in the waterbirds discussed here, this could influence the number of staging birds counted in south Sweden during the September counts and thus influence the indices discussed here.…”

“…In Sweden, only the September counts, started in 1973, were kept to cover the changes and trends in the autumn staging populations (Nilsson 1980a). The geese were covered in a special project, see Nilsson (2013a).…”

“…Gässen ingår också i de internationella midvinterinventeringarna och är dessutom föremål för speciella gåsinventeringar under hösten. Resultaten från dessa inventeringar har publicerats tidigare (Nilsson 2013a).…”