Greylag Geese staging and wintering in France 25
©Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
Wildfowl
(2013) 63: 24–39
Traditionally, Greylag Geese
Anser anser
breeding in west and northwest mainland
Europe have migrated along the west coast
of Europe to winter in Spain, originally
mainly at the Marismas of Guadalquivir in
the southwest part of the country
(Andersson
et al.
2001; Nilsson
et al
. 1999
and references therein). Geese migrating
from Sweden staged for short periods in the
Netherlands, whereas those from Norway
used migratory sites in both Denmark and
the Netherlands, often for longer periods
(Andersson
et al
. 2001). France has been
primarily a transit country for Nordic
Greylag Geese on their way to Spain, with
one noticeable exception (see below). This
was the general pattern of movement along
the flyway during the 1980s, when studies of
the Nordic-breeding Greylag Geese
commenced (Andersson
et al
. 2001).
Since the 1980s, the picture has changed
radically. The population has increased
markedly from
c
. 200,000 geese in the early
1990s to 610,000 by 2009 (Fox
et al
. 2010).
During the same period, there have been
significant changes in the migration patterns.
The Greylag Geese now winter much further
north than previously, with wintering sites
established in the Netherlands and south
Sweden (Nilsson 2006). Changes have also
occurred in the timing of migration, with
spring migration starting earlier in more
recent years (Fouquet
et al
. 2009; Pistorius
et
al
. 2006).
Large numbers of Greylag Geese pass
through France during autumn and spring,
particularly in west-central France (Fouquet
et al
. 2009). The Greylag Goose therefore is
an important species for French hunters; the
most recent estimate of an annual hunting
bag is of
c
. 21,000 birds in the 1998/99
hunting season, although some White-
fronted Geese
Anser albifrons
and Bean
Geese
Anser fabalis
were probably included
in this total (Yésou 2000; Schricke &
Yesou 2001). A Greylag Goose research
programme was initiated in France in 2011,
to determine the origin of the birds
occurring in the country (Schricke 2011).
This paper analyses re-sightings data for
individual birds marked by the different
Greylag Goose neck-banding programmes
in Europe, recorded on the
website, to determine the origins of the
geese staging in France. Regional and
seasonal variations in the re-sightings data
are also analysed, to determine which geese
are staging and which are overwintering in
the country. Mid-winter counts of the
species are presented to determine changes
over time in the importance for France for
the Greylag Geese. Goose hunting is a
major activity in France and the Greylag
Goose is an important quarry species. A
thorough knowledge of the movements of
the geese in the country therefore is required
for proper management of this resource,
particularly in relation to the European
Union regulations of hunting of migratory
species at a time when migration phenology
and wintering habits are changing.
Methods
The analyses presented in this paper are
based on observations of neck-banded
Greylag Geese from different countries
recorded in the
database,
downloaded in August 2012. The geese were
mainly marked on the breeding areas, where
families were driven into net traps when the
