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Winter survey in Kizil Agach, Azerbaijan In the period 27.01-03.02.2010 a survey of LWfG was carried out in the northern part of Kizil Agach/Gizilagach (the name is spelt in many varieties). The site is a state nature reserve and BirdLife IBA, and an important wintering area for Russian LWfG. The survey carried out under excellent conditions by S. Rozenfeld, Yu. Kopilov-Guskov and T. Zeipalov, found 2907 Lesser White-fronted and 28203 greylag geese. Interestingly, no greater white-fronts where seen. Sonia Rozenfeld, Institute of ecology and evolution, Russian academy of sciences, February 2010 |
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Survey of wintering geese at Manytch-Gudilo lake, Russia During the days 15-18 January 2010 a survey was carried out. Cold weather and snowy conditions with low visibility made the survey difficulty. Seven sites were visited and a total of 44009 geese were counted, of which white-fronts comprised 41 554ind. (94%), greylags 651 ind, red-breasted geese 1800ind and only 4 lessser white-fronted geese. Most of the geese had left the area already on 7-9 of January after the weather changed and snow cover was established again. Hunting was open 17-18.01 and a lot of shots were registered. Sonya Rozenfeld, Institute of ecology and evolution, Russian academy of sciences, January 2010 |
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Norway publishes National Action Plan for the Lesser White-fronted Goose (2009-10-27) The Norwegian Ministry of Environment has launched the Norwegian National Action Plan for the conservation of the globally threatened Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus). The goal is to halt the decline of the Fennoscandian population which breeds in northern Norway within the next five years and in the long run to increase the population to 1000 birds. The action plan, which aims to combine and coordinate efforts between different officials and stakeholders, comes at a crucial time: only an estimated 15 – 20 breeding pairs still migrate to Norway each spring. Read more at the AEWA news pages» |
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| EU-Life 2005-09 final report An international EU Life Nature project, titled “Conservation of the Lesser White-fronted Goose on European migration route” started in April 2005 and ended in March 2009. The project was run by WWF Finland, with nine more partners in Finland, Norway, Estonia, Hungary and Greece. The final report as well as a Laymans report from this project can be downloaded here» |  |
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| New web page, Kazakhstan A new web page about the Lesser White-fronted Goose» in Kazakhstan has been made available on the site "birds of Kazakhstan" by Vladilen Karasyov and Askar Isabekov. Russian version here» | ||
Goose survey in Kalmykia In the period 11-22 March 2009 a survey for Red-breasted and other geese was organized in Kalmykia, Russia. The expedition found few geese due to a very late and very cold spring (sometimes -19 at night and a lot of snow), so no real and clear geese spring migration in Kalmykia this year. Below follows a summary of the Lesser White-fronted Goose observations:
Sonia Rozenfeld, Institute of ecology and evolution, Russian academy of sciences. |
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Survey of KBAs in Iraq BirdLife in Iraq has undertaken their fifth winter survey of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) across the country. This winter’s KBA surveys covered 65 sites, of which 12 in Kurdistan, and 53 in the middle and south of Iraq - including 14 new locations. “This winter we observed a flock of 410 Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus and considerable numbers of Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca – both Vulnerable - in Kurdistan”, said Korsh Ararat – leader of Nature Iraq’s KBA surveys in northern Iraq. Read more at Uncovering Iraq's unique wildlife» 06-04-2009 |
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New Action Plans for 14 threatened bird species has been published for the Caucasus eco-region. Among the species with new action plans are the Lesser White-fronted Goose and the Red-breasted Goose. The publication covers the Caucasus eco-region, which is one of the 25 most biologically diverse areas of the Earth. The region was selected by the experts of Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) as being under the threat of degradation. The northern limit of Caucasus eco-region is drawn along Kuma-Manych depression. The experts of Russian Bird Conservation Union (RBCU) have prepared the action plans for the conservation of the 14 threatened species occurring in the Russian part of Caucasian eco-region: Daghestan Republic, Stavropol Territory, Chechen Republic, Republic of Ingushetia, Republic of Northern Osetia-Alania, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Karachaevo-Cherkessia Republic, Krasnodar Territory, Republic of Adygeya, and also in southern parts of Rostov region and Republic of Kalmykia. The Lesser White-fronted Goose Action Plan (pp.121-126) lists eight urgent measures for conservation of LWfG in the region, of which ban of spring hunting is listed first - high priority. The full reference is: Action plans for conservation of globally threatened bird species in Caucasus eco-region / Ed. by G.S. Dzhamirzoev & S.A. Bukreev. – Moscow–Makhachkala: Russian Bird Conservation Union, Institute of Biogeography and Landscape Ecology at Daghestan State Pedagogical University, 2008. – 208 p. Download» |
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| LIFEnews features 2009 - Sustainable hunting in the EU The Birds Directive bans activities that directly threaten birds. However, it also recognises hunting as a legitimate activity. While the Directive aims to provide a comprehensive system for the management of hunting, it could not provide clear answers to all the conflicts that arose between hunters and bird protection agencies over what activities were permitted. This led the Commission to launch, in 2001, a Sustainable Hunting Initiative. See more here» | ||
Feasibility study of how to capture Swedish Lesser White-fronted Geese A new report with focus on the Swedish reintroduced population of the Lesser White-fronted Goose was recently made publicly available. The report was ordered by Norrbotten Administration County and in discussions with Swedish Environmental Protection Agency it was decided that 12 issues should be investigated related to the discovery in the 1990s, that the population of Lesser White-fronted Geese held in captivity in Sweden contained DNA from Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons, probably due to previous hybridization events in captivity (Ruokonen et al. 2000). Since a moratorium of releasing geese into the wild was established in 2000, there has been strong controversy of which actions that should be taken against the Swedish free-flying flock. The report is a feasibility study of how to capture Swedish Lesser White-fronted Geese and how to proceed with DNA-analyses. The feasibility of a refinement of the population is considered and cost estimates of various actions are presented. The full reference: Ottvall, R. 2008. Feasibility study of catching and genetic screening of Swedish Lesser White-fronted Geese Anser erythropus. Department of Ecology, Lund University. 36 pp. |
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| Vacancy Announcements AEWA Consultancy: Coordinator for the Lesser White-fronted Goose Single Species Action Plan. Closing Date: 9 March 2009. Read full vacancy announcement here» | ||
| Establishment of a South-Eastern European monitoring network for LWfG The recent EU LIFE project ‘Conservation of the Lesser White-fronted Goose on the European migration route’ concludes its findings with the establishment of a South-Eastern European monitoring network for LWfG In Lake Kerkini, Greece, project managers and monitoring experts gathered in late November 2008 for the final coordination meeting of the EU LIFE project “Conservation of the Lesser White-fronted Goose on its European migration route” at Lake Kerkini in Greece. The project meeting was held back to back with a training workshop on Lesser White-fronted Goose identification for 35 ornithologists from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. See more here» |
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| Red-breasted Goose survey during November in Kalmykia In the period 16-21 November 2008 a survey for Red-breasted Geese was organized in Kalmykia, Russia. The expedition located more than 23000 Red-breasted geese, 32000 White-fronted geese as well as 260 Lesser White-fronted Geese! The Lessers were found in Tzogray, outside the protected areas around Manych Lake. Sonia Rozenfeld, Institute of ecology and evolution, Russian academy of sciences. | ||
The International Action Plan for the Lesser White-fronted Goose is finally published by AEWAThe recently adopted “International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Lesser White-fronted Goose (Western Palearctic Population)” provides a framework for coordinated international action to conserve this threatened species across its full migratory range spanning Europe and parts of Asia. Adopted at the Fourth Meeting of the Parties to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement in Antananarivo, Madagascar, the plan sets the stage for strengthened cooperative conservation action between 22 Eurasian countries in which this species regularly occurs. Click further for the AEWA announcement» and download the LWfG International Action Plan» African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, Bonn, 10 November 2008 More about the release can also be viewed at the web pages of BirdLife International - International action to save Lesser White-fronted Goose» |
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Monitoring of autumn staging geese in Kostanay region in 2008 Through a project on Siberian crane most of the Kostanay region was surveyed for geese and cranes in the period 21 September to 5 October 2008. Altogether 347 thousand geese were counted on the 17 sites covered. Exitingly was the total count of 20 832 lesser white-fronted geese. The amount of red-breasted geese was almost similar with 19 587 individuals. The most important lakes for the Lesser White-fronted Goose were Russian Garkol with 6876 ind., Shaptykol (Тitovo) with 5390 ind., Shogyrkol with 4847 ind. and Taldykol/Kulakol with 1552 individuals. Sonia Rozenfeld, Institute of ecology and evolution, Russian academy of sciences. |
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| Poaching in Kazakhstan is a large problem - juvenile LWfG (below) and white-fronted goose. |
Critically endangered Lesser White-fronted Goose shot in a protected area in Greece A serious case of poaching of one of Europe’s most endangered bird species has been confirmed in Greece. An adult male Lesser White-fronted Goose named as Mánnu, individually colour-ring-marked close to its breeding area in northern Norway, was found dead within a strictly protected area at Lake Kerkini, Greece where hunting is prohibited. An autopsy confirmed that the bird was killed with a shotgun. The Lesser White-fronted Goose is protected under the EU Birds Directive. Furthermore, it is also fully protected by national legislation in Greece. The main part of the Fennoscandian population winters in Greece, in the protected areas at Lake Kerkini and in the Evros Delta. Read the full story here» LWfG EU Life project, 16 April 2008 More coverage can be found here: |
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Illegal hunting of globally threatened waterbirds in Bulgaria After the previous two-day prolongation of the hunting season in Bulgaria (February 2nd and 3rd) it was hoped that it was over. Unfortunately, on 12 February it was learnt that at 18 hours on Friday (after the working time) the hunting season was prolonged again - this time till February 17th. This prolongation is a result of the lobbying by a group of MPs (more than 60% of the Bulgarian MPs are hunters). In general, the hunting community insists on prolongation of the hunting season till April 15th. Such unregulated prolongations, of course, are prohibited by the Bulgarian legislation, as well as by the Birds Directive! There are no guarantees that the hunting season will not be further prolonged after February 17th. All this happens against the background of mass poaching and killing of Red-breasted geese, Lesser white-fronted geese, Pygmy Cormorants, Pelicans, and Swans; mass hunting violating the law, according to which hunting must stop an hour after sunset; mass hunting on silhouettes in the fog, when the object cannot be recognized; serious infringements of the hunting norms (three geese and five ducks per hunter per day); mass use of forbidden electric sound devices for luring geese and ducks.
Everything
that Green Balkans and the nature-conservation community in Bulgaria
could do, in order to prevent all these crimes, has already been done.
Bulgaria's biggest NGOs developed numerous position papers. The
National Veterinary Medicine Service also issued a negative position
paper regarding the prolongation of the hunting season related to the
risk of avian flue. Maybe the only working solution will be if Bulgaria
is brought to the court under the international legislation for
infringement upon the Birds Directive. Unfortunately, this is the
situation in Bulgaria now (despite the EU membership). Obviously, much
more years will be needed to overcome the poaching problem!
In the meantime, while undertaking these administrative measures, the Federation of Nature Conservation NGO's will try to guarantee presence of representatives in as many wetlands as possible during the hunting days. This seems to be the best way to prevent hunters from shooting protected species at least! Conservation Director, Ivelin Ivanov, Federation of Nature Conservation NGO's, GREEN BALKANS
The Lesser White-fronted Goose have been added to the Cyprus bird list, though all the birds were shot Three lesser white-fronted geese were found at Akhna Dam over the weekend of the 20th/21st November 2003. Unfortunately, it is believed due to illegal hunting, the numbers were reduced to two, then to one lone bird, which also had disappeared by February 2004. The LWfG was bird species number 370 for Cyprus. More information and a photo can be found at http://www.birdlifecyprus.org/Birdings.htm»
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The Kostanay area in Kazakstan. The red line shows the migration of "3502" |
The Kostanay region in northern
Kazakstan is extremely important for the LWfG When the
Polar Ural bird “
Survey of spring migration of geese at the Manych Lake, Russia (BirdLife IBA RU165») On 16-18 March 2007 a survey of spring migration of geese at the Manych Lake in Kalmykia was carried out. In the buffer zone of the zapovednik “Chernye Zemli” Lesser white-fronted geese were observed four times. The site is the same as was visited by the satellite transmitter tagged bird from Polar Ural on 9 March (See From Polar Ural in European Russia 2006»). 16.03.07 On the northern coast of Manych (46º14`259N 42º 57`553E) on the eastern spit of Kirista Peninsula 68 lesser white-fronted geese were seen feeding in the flock of 10 000 red-breasted geese and 50 white-fronted geese. On the same point, one lesser white-fronted goose was recorded in a flock of 13 WFG, flying south. 17.03.07 On the southern coast of Manych (46º19`406N 42º39`509E) 26 lesser white-fronted geese were feeding in a flock of 350 WfG and 250 Red-breasted geese. 18.03.07 On the southern coast of Manych (46º15`927N 42º51`731E) four lesser white-fronted geese flew south in a flock of 74 WfG from the Pushechnyi Island, where they spent the night. A map with the sites can be viewed here» (the red line shows the migration of the satellite transmitter tagged bird away from the site). Sonya Rozenfeld, Institute of Animal Ecology and Evolution & Victor Badmaev, Zapovednik “Chernye Zemly”, March 2007
LWfG found in eastern Syria An expedition was carried
out on
9-11 February 2007 with the main aim of visiting and researching three
poorly known sites in Eastern Syria, very close to the Iraqi border.
The motive for the expedition was based on the recent discovery of a
Russian Lesser White-fronted Goose individual wintering in Eastern
Syria. The migration of these birds can be seen at the Gis-Lab web pages - LWfG internet
mapping» Participants
included Anssi Kullberg currently working for the Finnish Embassy in
Damascus and Beirut, Ahmed Abdallah from Palmyra who is a guide
specialized in nature and birds, and Perttu Kantonen who is the trainee
of the Finnish Embassy in Damascus and volunteered to be the
photographer of the expedition.
The satellite transmitter tagged bird unfortunately left to Iraq early the same week before the expedition could start. However, many of the findings were still significant, highlighted in the discovery of at least 8, probably many more, lesser white-fronted geese, and a number of other interesting species, including for example 7 Red-wattled Plover Hoplopterus indicus, 15 Smew Mergellus albellus, very significant numbers of Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons and Greylag Goose Anser anser. Download the full report (pdf 800KB) by Anssi Kullberg here» February 2007
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| The satellite location of 3H on 4 February close to Samarra in Iraq |
The migrating LWfG from the Putorana mountains in Siberia are now in Iraq Both LWfG that are tracked by "The Goose, swan and duck study group of Northern Eurasia" (RGG») are now in Iraq. Bird 3H was located on 4 February in the Tigris River one km from the large town Samarra». This place is situated just 125 km north of Baghdad. The other bird 0H is still in the same area 30 km south of the city Al Kut (and the lake - Haur Al Suwayqiyah). This is the same site as used by the bird with PTT 24677 on 7 January 2005 (See autumn 2004 to autumn 2005»). More about this project you can see at the pages of Gis-Lab here» February 2007
Kazakhstan joins the Ramsar Convention! More details on the Ramsar website and in a press release by BirdLife International. In October 2002, WWF organised an international seminar on the conservation of the wetlands of the Kostanay region, Kazakstan, and in the resolution of the seminar it was proposed to include the Kostanay region wetlands in the Ramsar list (see an article on this topic in the Fennoscandian LWfG conservation project report 2001-2003, pp 41-43). January 2007
Imperial Eagle hunting Lesser White-fronted Goose A great picture at the website of the Hong Kong bird watching society (HKBWS) (http://www.hkbws.org.hk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1745#1745) of an immature Imperial Eagle in hot pursuit of one of two Lesser White-fronted Geese which have appeared for the first time ever in Hong Kong this winter. The goose got away on this occasion. Imperial Eagles hunting waterfowl arriving for a late afternoon roost is one of the great spectacles of Mai Po in the winter-time. For more pix of Imperial and Spotted Eagles at Mai Po check out the HKBWS» website! December 2006
Satellite-tracking reveals new migration route for Lesser White-fronts: BirdLife News Alert 14 Dec 2006», Birdforum 15 Dec 2006» and Fatbirder 14 Dec 2006».
Lesser White-fronted Goose satellite telemetry - follow the migration from the Putorana mountains in Siberia online! The Goose, swan and duck study group of Northern Eurasia (RGG») in co-operation with OAO "GMK Norilsk Nickel" and the state nature reserve (sapovednik) Putoranskiy are running a joint project to study the migration of the Lesser White-fronted Goose. Six birds were successfully caught and instrumented with hi-tech satellite transmitters during the moulting period. Details on this fascinating project you can see here» Two of the birds are still on the run: On 4th November the bird 3H was on the coast of the Caspian Sea in Dagestan and 0H at the Aralizu Reservoir, Iran, where also one of the Polar Ural birds spent time in 2004! (see autumn 2004 to autumn 2005»). November 2006
Astonishing new information on the flyways of the endangered Lesser White-fronted Goose As a result of the on-going satellite tracking of three Lesser White-fronted Geese (Anser erythropus) of the critically endangered Fennoscandian breeding population, it has newly been found out that the Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronts may end up in the wintering sites in northern Greece by performing a loop-migration via Kazakhstan and the Black Sea. Mapping the flyways and staging areas is essential for successful conservation of the species. Read more here (PDF 100KB)», dig into the details through the satellite tracking page» or see the WWF News 6 November 2006». November 2006
Swan Goose migration 2006 The Swan Goose Anser cygnoides is a large goose that breeds primarily in Mongolia and eastern Russia and winters in southern and eastern China. Introduced populations, many of which are domesticated and non-migratory occur elsewhere in Asia. The numbers of wild swan geese have declined rapidly in the past century. Threats include habitat loss from agricultural development, dam construction, and the grazing and cutting of marsh vegetation, as well as unsustainable levels of hunting.
Very little is known about the migration patterns of swan
geese in the wild or their susceptibility to avian influenza H5N1.
However, because of their small numbers and the high degree of overlap
between their range and H5N1-affected areas, swan geese are a species
of special concern. During late-July, 2006 scientists from U.S.
Geological Survey, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and Wildlife
Science Conservation Center, deployed 3 global positioning transmitters
(GPS) on wild swan geese to facilitate satellite tracking of their
movements. Moulting birds were captured during their flightless period
on a lake called Hachine Tsagaan Nuur in the Aimag (Province) of Dornod
in Dashbalbar soum (county), in northeastern Mongolia and transmitters
were attached using harnesses. See the full details at: http://www.werc.
Bar-headed goose migration over the Himalaya
Cordillera 2005 The largest outbreak of avian influenza H5N1
among wild birds occurred in April 2005 at Qinghai Lake in western
China, when more than 1350 bar-headed geese Anser indicus,
died. Dead bar-headed geese again were found along the Qinghai Lake
route during spring 2006, further emphasizing the need for research on
their migratory pathways. In a collaborative project (see the web site)
satellite tracking was used to document the migration of bar-headed
geese over the Himalaya. The Himalayan Cordillera is a formidable
barrier to migration for most birds, but bar-headed geese are uniquely
adapted for high altitude flight and cross the Himalaya along a wide
migratory front. Geese marked with satellite transmitters in India and
Nepal crossed from 14 March to 11 April 2005 at elevations exceeding
6,141 m. They arrived at breeding areas on the Tibetan Plateau (4,450
m), only 750 km north of their wintering grounds and 700 km southeast
of Qinghai Lake (3,200 m). Two birds from India flew to the same
Tibetan spring staging area (Lamqog Kanbab River) as another marked in
2006, and birds from Nepal migrated to Tibetan areas (200 km northwest
of Lhasa) eastward of the birds from India. These geese remained in
separate areas throughout the breeding season before returning to
wintering areas near original capture sites. The wintering groups may
represent distinct populations, since geese are known for strong site
fidelity. See the full details at: http://www.werc.
Satellite tracking of Barnacle Goose On 7 April 2006 the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in collaboration with the North Solway Ringing Group caught 80 barnacle geese on Newfield Farm next to the WWT Caerlaverock reserve. All were fitted with orange darvic rings, and three birds were fitted with solar ARGOS satellite GPS transmitters. These were: Orange CUB named "Myrfyn" and championed by Cargenbridge Primary School; Orange CPS named "Sir Peter" and championed by Caerlaverock Primary School; and Orange CYD named "King Harald" to be championed by a school on Herøy in Helgeland, Norway. On 15 April 2006, following a catch of 29 birds on the Stanhope holding at the eastern end of the reserve, the fourth and final GPS transmitter was fitted to a large male named "Magnar" with orange ring DAD. You can find more information and follow the migration of these four barnacles at the page From the Solway to Svalbard»
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| Ingar J. Øien is photographing while Tomas Aarvak is about to release a male LWfG with a GPS satellite transmitter © Morten Ekker |
Satellite tracking of Lesser White-fronts Two adult pairs and one young (2cy) Lesser White-fronted Goose and one young (2cy) white-fronted Goose were caught on 22 May. The male in one of the pairs was equipped with a 30 gram GPS PTT satellite transmitter. This is the third bird to be released with satellite transmitter at the Valdak Marshes in 2006. For details you can see more at the satellite tracking page» 24 May 2006
Birdwatchers on the alert for avian flu in China China daily 18.01.2006»
Satellite tracking of White-fronts from the Netherlands Five white-fronted geese have recently been fitted with lightweight GPS solar panel satellite transmitters in the Netherlands. Follow their migration at www.blessgans.de» or go directly to their satellite telemetry page» February 2006
New
report on the LWfG in the Netherlands
A new report was just published by SOVON, on behalf of the Dutch
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Food Quality. It reviews
the status of Lesser White-fronted Geese (i.e. the Swedish reintroduced
population) in the Netherlands. Unfortunately it is in Dutch language,
but has a summary and captions in English. It can be found through the literature» pages
or downloaded as a full text PDF (3MB)» February
2006
New web site! The "Hortobágy National Park" partner of the EU Life project "Conservation of Anser erythropus on European migration route" has announced the new Hungarian web site of the LWfG project at: http://kislilik.hnp.hu/» The site is in Hungarian. February 2006
New web site! The EU Life project "Conservation of Anser erythropus on European migration route" has got a new official web site: www.wwf.fi/lwfg»
Autumn 2005 survey in Kazakstan A Finnish-Russian-Kazakstan team which included 10 scientists and ornithologists participated in a UNDP sponsored Siberian Crane Wetlands Project in Kustanay Region. Altogether 27 wetlands were surveyed and over half million birds were recorded. The proportion of LWFG were 1.88 % of identified geese (about 43 000 geese in total). Totally three teams have been working in Kustanay this autumn, 2 weeks each. The first since 25 August 2005, the second (with finns) since 14 September 2005 and the third since 30 September 2005. No Siberian Cranes were detected by the team with Finnish participation. One hunter claimed to have seen one "white crane", and Sergey Yerokhov´s team will check the site. (Source: Erkki Kellomaki)
EU Life project "Conservation of Anser erythropus on European migration route" Finally the EU has officially announced the support to 54 new LIFE Nature projects, including our project! For the EU press release about the individual projects, see here» The Piskulka pages will try to upload information about the project as often as possible.
Avian influenza (poultry flu) From time to time the media reports on outbreaks of bird flu, though a more proper term would be poultry flu (avian influenza). If you need more detailed information about this matter you can have a look at:
New web site on the birds of Kazakhstan A new and rapidly growing web-site on the birds of Kazakhstan has recently been announced. The web-site is in Russian, but the photos (hundreds of them) are international! http://www.birds.kz»
Pictures from Estonia See some nice LWfG pictures taken by Mika Bruun in Estonia 2 May», 3 May», 7 May» in 2005 at www.tarsiger.com» May 2005
Midwinter 2005 in Iran In the Bujagh wetland in Iran two LWfG were observed during midwinter in 2005 (Source: Jamshid Mansoori through Lauri Kahanpää).
New Swedish web site One of the Swedish regional birding societies (Västerbottens Ornitologiska Förening) have made a new web site about the Lesser White-fronted Goose in order to inform about its present state and to collect information about its present and past occurrence in northern Sweden. The web site is only in Swedish: Fjällgåsen i Västerbotten» 25 April 2005
Unusual wintering of the Lesser White-fronted Goose in Kyiv vicinities, Ukraine, in 2004. Details». See more at the website of the Ukrainian Society for the protection of birds» 30 March 2005
Norilsk Nikkel Corporate Magazine - After work / Dialogue with nature: Interview with Eugenie Syroyechkovsky Junior (Institute for Ecology and Evolution Problems of the RAS). Read the article here»
A Russian version of the "Asia Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy 2001-2005" published in late 2004 is now available electronically at http://www.wetlands.ru/?item=12&a=89 28 March 2005
A detailed species account from "Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status" (Birdlife International 2004) is now available for the Lesser White-fronted Goose» 3 March 2005
Have the wintering areas of the west Russian populations of LWfG finally been revealed? On 25 November a satellite transmitter tagged LWfG arrived in the Haur Al-Shubaicha wetland area in Iraq, some 80km east of the capital, Baghdad. Get all the details at the satellite tracking pages» 25 November 2004
Winter bird survey in the Lower Chang Jiang
(Yangtze) River Basin, China, 2004 WWF-China
has recently published a bi-lingual (Chinese and English) report
describing the results of the waterbird survey conducted over a 2 week
period in January/February 2004 along the floodplain of the middle and
lower reaches of the Yangtze River, stretching through Hubei, Hunan,
Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu to Shanghai.
Highlights of the survey were: A total of 515,896 waterbirds of 83
species were counted. Individual Province counts were: Anhui - 171,841,
Jiangxi - 138,643, Hunan - 133,306, Hubei - 47,469, Jiangsu - 15,796
and Shanghai Municipality - 8,841. Thirteen globally-threatened species
and one near-threatened species were found during the survey. The most
common species group was the Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans)
comprising 66% of the waterbirds counted; next were shorebirds (17%),
gulls (7%), and egrets and herons (5%). The counts of Swan Geese
(60,886 individuals) and Lesser White-fronted Geese (16,937) exceeded
current estimates of their respective global (55,000) and regional
(14,000) populations. Large numbers of cranes were seen: 93% of the
global population of the Siberian Crane (2,784 individuals counted),
93% of the regional population of the Hooded Crane (933 individuals),
and 68% of the regional population of the White-naped Crane (2,716).
57% of the global population of the Oriental White Stork (1,697
individuals) was counted. Those wishing to obtain a copy of the report
should contact Ms. YANG Qin QYang@wwfchina.org at WWF China, Beijing.
Mark Barter on Oriental Birding (posting at orientalbirding@yahoogroups.com)
Three LWfG tagged with satellite transmitters in Polar Ural, European Russia Vladimir Morozov and colleagues from theRussian Research Institute of Nature Protection caught and tagged three Lesser White-fronted Geese on 20 and 21 July 2004 in Vorkuta, Polar Ural. On 24 August the geese were still in the breeding area. Follow their migration here at the satellite tracking pages! As soon as they start moving we will make their tracks available at the present site. July 2004
New report from
the Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose Conservation
Project covering the years 2001-2003» is
now out. It contains articles from staging, breeding and wintering
areas in Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Hungary, Kazakstan,
Ukraine and Spain with some additional information from central Asia
and China. The whole report are available online as PDF files. Printed
version of the report and previous reports of the Fennoscandian Lesser
White-fronted Goose conservation project are available from: Ingar
Jostein Øien, Norwegian Ornithological Society (NOF),
Sandgata
30 B, N-7012 Trondheim, Norway, and Petteri Tolvanen, WWF Finland,
Lintulahdenkatu 10, FIN-00500 Helsinki, Finland July 2004
Swedish Lapland There is still a possibility that Sweden have a breeding population of wild LWfG. On 29 April, 10 Lesser White-fronted Geese was seen by Bror Eriksson in Rostojaure, Northern Swedish Lapland. The area is situated far from the Swedish reintroduction site. Wild LWfG were also seen in 1998, and have also records from the period 1980's to 1990's. (Source: P.Tolvanen, Norrbottens Ornitologiska Förening) April 2004
Successful catching at Valdak, Porsangen Fjord, Norway Four young Lesser White-fronted Geese were caught in the evening and two of them were equipped with tail mounted radio transmitters. See pictures from the ringing and blood sampling here» 28 May 2004
The Lesser White-fronted Goose Working Group of Wetlands International had it's latest meeting in Odessa, Ukraine (see eg. the web site of the Goose Specialist Group of Wetlands International). The minutes from the meeting is not finished yet, but one of the more important decisions was to arrange an international conference during spring 2005 devoted only to the biology and conservation of the Lesser White-fronted Goose. Watch back on the portal for more news on the upcoming event. May 2004
The Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus in South Korea: regular migrant and winter visitor. Nial Moores, WBKEnglish Network, give details of a number of sightings of Lesser White-fronts seen in South Korea in the winter 2003/2004. He also propose that the status of the species in South Korea should be changed: it is currently given in Lee, Koo, and Park's "Field Guide to the Birds of Korea" (2000) as a vagrant, but this appears to be based on eg lack of experienced observers. It is much more likely that the species is in fact a migrant and winter visitor to South Korea in small numbers - which obviously impacts on the need to conserve the areas where the species is regularly being observed. See more here» May 2004
New volumes (8 and 9) of
the bulletin Casarca Volume
8 and 9 of the "Bulletin of the Goose, swan and duck study group of
Northern Eurasia" (Casarca) is now out. Take contact on the following
editorial address to obtain a copy: RGG, Bird Ringing Centre, Leninski
prospect 86-310, 117313 Moscow, Russia. Fax/phone: 7 (095) 246-71-54,
E-mail: casarca.
The references for articles about Lesser White-fronted Geese can be
found in the general
publications page». See also Table
of contents (vol.9)»
Meeting announcement: The 8th annual meeting of the Goose Specialist Group of Wetlands International will be held from 5-10 March 2004 in Odessa, Ukraine. More information will be made available in November at the web pages of the Goose Specialist Group. 25 October 2003
Winter bird survey in the
Lower Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River Basin, China, 2003 Two
teams surveyed a selection of lakes in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Anhui
over a 3-week period in January 2003. The main target species was
Dunlin, but all waterbirds seen were counted. Despite significant
logistical problems and very foggy weather, they were able to find 242
000 waterbirds including: 48 000 Dunlin,12 000 Spotted Redshank, 12 500
Pied Avocet, 6 500 Eurasian Spoonbill (100% of estimated regional
population - from Waterbird Population Estimates Third Edition 2002),
1362 Oriental Stork (45%), 16 300 Tundra Swan (19%), 27 100 Swan Goose
(49%), 25 700 Bean Goose (22% of combined, middendorfii/ serrirostris
sub-species), 16 600 Lesser White-fronted Goose (118%!!),
646 Hooded Crane (65%). Incidentally, they later saw another 105 Hooded
Cranes in the Chang Jiang estuary (Chongming Dao).
Those interested in spreadsheets of the counts, site-by-site (with
dates/co-ordinates) and estimated coverage of each lake, should contact
Mark Barter
directly - as should those who would like to discuss the results in
more detail.
Mark Barter, Lei Gang (Dong Dongting Hu NNR) and Xu Qiang (Wetlands
International-China)
New volume (7) of the
bulletin Casarca Volume
7 of the "Bulletin of the Goose, swan and duck study group of Northern
Eurasia" (Casarca) is now out. Take contact on the following editorial
address to obtain a copy: RGG, Bird Ringing Centre, Leninski prospect
86-310, 117313 Moscow, Russia. Fax/phone: 7 (095) 246-71-54, E-mail: casarca. The
references for articles about Lesser White-fronted Geese can be found
in the Literature»
or recent
articles» page.
Winter bird survey in Manych Lake 2002 A survey for LWfG on the Manych Lake, Kalmykia, Russia, was organized and carried out by K. Litvin and E. Gurtovaya in March 2002. Six LWfG were seen among many thousands geese.
Breeding bird survey in Polar Urals 2002 Vladimir Morozov organized and carried out the expedition in the Polar Urals, Russia, in June-August 2002. The aims of expedition were monitoring and ringing of LWfG. In total 10 LWfG were caught and 3 of them were neck-banded.
Meeting announcement: The 7th annual meeting of the Goose Specialist Group of Wetlands International will be held from 14 -17 December 2002 in the Cota Doñana in southern Spain. Please note the registration deadline of 1 October 2002. More information can be found at the web pages of the Goose Specialist Group. 31 August 2002
February survey on Crimea, Ukraine A survey carried out on Crimea, Ukraine, from 18 January to 2 February 2002, didn't reveal any large numbers of wintering lesser white-fronted geese. Only single individuals where found in the many flocks of white-fronted geese. A preliminary summing up gave a total of 10 lesser white-fronted geese, 10.000 red-breasted geese and 90.000 white-fronted geese. Due to a very cold period around New Year appr. 2/3 of the geese normally wintering in the area had left for somewhere else. The survey was carried out by a co-operation between WWF-Finland, BirdLife Norway and the Azov-Black Sea Ornithological Station. A more detailed report will be made available here when finished. (Source: Tomas Aarvak) 11 February 2002
Annual Report from the
Fennoscandian project
The Finnish & Norwegian LWfG teams (Fennoscandian Lesser
White-fronted Goose Conservation Project) decided not to print a LWfG
annual report this year, but will instead make a combined two-year
report next year (2001 & 2002). However, they plan to publish
reports on the actions in 2001 in a similar format on internet during
this spring, and these articles will also be included in the coming
two-year report. As earlier, all national teams and individuals working
with lesser white-fronted geese are welcome to contribute. Please
contact Petteri
Tolvanen or Ingar
J. Øien. 7 February 2002
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