Madsen, J. 2008. National Environmental Research Institute, University of Aarhus. 20 pp. NERI Technical Report no. 676.

 

 

 

Summary

 

In spring, pink-footed geese forage on arable land in west Jutland, Denmark. To avoid damage to newly sown cereal fields caused by the geese, the National Forest and Nature Agency provides bait grain at 3-4 sites, whích is attracting the geese and thereby reducing the pressure on cereal fields.

 

During the last 15 years, the population of pink-footed geese has doubled, from approximately 30,000 to 60,000 individuals followed by a dispersal to at wide range of sites in west and north Jutland. Furthermore, due to climate change the spring migration to Norway has advanced by 2-3 weeks, and by c. 20 April, the majority of geese have now left Jutland.

 

However, concurrently the number of spring-staging barnacle geese has increased dramatically in west Jutland, and they remain until mid May. They are also attracted to the bait sites, but do not yet feed on newly sown fields.

 

The strategy for baiting should be revised to prevent continued bating of barnacle geese and to avoid the risk that they will learn the habit of foraging on newly sown fields.

 

Full report  (in danish only) in pdf-format (424 kB)