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The 40th consecutive winter census of Pink-footed Geese and Icelandic Greylag Geese took place in Britain and Ireland during autumn 1999. Two discrete counts were undertaken and maxima of 212,493 Pink-footed Geese and 75,866 Greylag Geese were recorded in November. Both counts were lower than those in 1998, representing a decrease of 7% for Pinkfeet and 9% for Greylags. While the estimate for Pink-footed Goose is believed to be low due to an apparent late arrival into Britain, the Greylag Goose estimate is believed to be accurate and, with the exception of an under-count in 1984, represents the lowest count since 1978. This continues a decline that began in the early to mid 1990s. From similarly-sized populations of about 85,000 in 1980 both species continued to increase during the following eight years, with Pinkfeet doubling their numbers in this time and Greylags increasing to around 100,000. However, since then, while Pinkfeet continued to increase to around 230,000 by the mid 1990s, Greylags have steadily declined. Monitoring of reproductive success during this time, by counting the proportion of first year birds in winter flocks, showed that productivity in both species was very similar. This therefore suggested that some other factor must be affecting the survival of full-grown Greylag Geese. Since 1995 the number of geese shot in Iceland each year has been monitored. This has shown that the decline of the Greylag population is probably almost entirely due to over-exploitation of the species in Iceland. Each autumn, between 30,000 and 40,000 Greylags are shot prior to their departure for Scotland. This amounts to almost one third of the post-breeding population, a proportion that does not appear to be sustainable in the long-term. Pinkfeet, on the other hand, are shot in much lower numbers, around 10,000-15,000 each year, or 5% of the population. Greylag Geese are particularly vulnerable to hunting in Iceland for two reasons. Firstly, they nest in lowland areas, making them more accessible to hunters than Pinkfeet which nest in the uplands. Secondly, Greylags remain in Iceland each autumn for around four weeks longer than Pinkfeet, providing hunters with a longer hunting period. Efforts by the Icelandic Government in the past two years to discourage the shooting of Greylags have met with some success. However, stricter measures enforced by law may be necessary if this does not prove sufficient to reverse the decline. Once in the UK, these geese continue to be shot. However, estimates of the number killed are not available in this country, so it is not possible to identify if this source of mortality is a cause for concern for the Greylag population. Richard Hearn Reprinted with permission from WeBS Newsletter, no. 13 winter 2000-1. Richard has also sent the following addendum: Icelandic Greylags have become much more numerous in Orkney; this is considered to be due to changing agricultural practices on the mainland. Global warming is also a potential factor, but availability of sugar beet in Norfolk has seen Pink-feet wintering further south in greater numbers over the same period. The use of neck collars has shown that wild Greylags are still wintering at this latitude in Yorkshire (the Derwent Valley and east). There have been no records submitted of collared birds in Cumbria or Lancashire. (With thanks to Stephen Dunstan for passing on information.)
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