Naturalised Goose Survey 2000

A national survey of naturalised geese in the UK, jointly organised by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), was held in summer 2000 with counts being made between 22nd June and 21st July so that numbers of both adults and juveniles could be recorded and thus the national population estimates updated.  It is thought that in some parts of the country the monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) counts may not accurately reflect the continued growth of Canada Geese, in particular if numbers have reached carrying capacity on existing sites and birds are expanding onto smaller sites. Nationally the BTO organised counts of birds in randomly selected tetrads during the breeding season but I have no information on those counts. The inland site based counts are reported here and the method was similar to those of WeBS with observers counting all geese including juveniles present. As a start a list of sites in Cumbria on which Canada geese had been recorded by the 1991 national survey and where geese have been recorded in summers during the 1990s was produced and a band of twenty volunteers enrolled. Counts of birds on the estuaries are not included and were covered by the normal monthly WeBS counts. 54 inland sites were surveyed and while 24 held no geese there were 15 sites in Barrow and South Lakeland with geese and another 15 in Carlisle, Eden, Copeland and Allerdale where detailed counts were made.  The total of naturalised geese found on inland sites in the south of the county: Greylag 235 adults, 226 young, 561 unaged Canada 858 adults, 166 young, 253 unaged Barnacle 16 adults,1 young other geese and crossbred, domestic etc 21 adults 14 young The total of naturalised geese on inland sites in the north of the county: Greylag 491 adult, 131 young, 686 unaged Canada 265 adult, 73 young Barnacle 60 adult, 17 young Sites with large numbers included: Abbot Moss Pool 254 Greylag, Bassenthwaite Lake 260 Greylag, Derwentwater 259 Greylag & 57 Barnacle, Haweswater 319 Greylag, Windermere 596 Greylag & 460 Canada, Killington 424 Canada. At a few sites (Killington, Derwentwater, Bassenthwaite, Thirlmere, Grasmere) control of geese, e.g. by pricking eggs, was known to have occurred in 2000 or in earlier years and on several sites shooting in winter outside the closed season was recorded. The analysis and results of the national survey are not expected to be published before the end of this year. Kathleen Atkinson