Continuing growth of the Baltic barnacle goose population: Number of individuals and reproductive success in different colonies

Continuing growth of the Baltic barnacle goose population : Number of individuals and reproductive success in different colonies

The Baltic barnacle goose population increased rapidly after 1971, when the first breeding attempt was observed off the eastern coast of Gotland, Sweden. In 1997, about 3,990 pairs bred along the Baltic coast in Sweden, western Estonia and southern Finland. The majority of these pairs, about 3,490 pairs, were found breeding in colonies along the eastern coasts of Gotland and Oland, Sweden. The total population size at the end of July in 1997 was estimated to be approximately 17,000 individuals. The production of fledged young per breeding pair was negatively related to the size of colonies, although the production varied greatly among different colonies. In 1997, the largest Baltic colony hosted more than 50% of the total number of breeding pairs but produced less than 15% of the total number of fledged young. This finding points out the need to consider different colonies as separate demographic units when studying regulation processes in populations of colonially breeding geese. In the future, we find it most probable that the Baltic population will continue to increase and that new colonies will be established. We also expect that the number of Baltic barnacle geese eventually will be limited by the availability of predator-safe grazing grounds with short, protein rich grass which families with newly hatched goslings are dependent on.

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