The story from mid July ..

Kerry, Hugh, Austin and Major Ruttledge are still in the Canadian high Arctic and have not moved significantly since last week. Arnthor is still missing.

The Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and the Irish Brent Goose Study undertook studies of reproductive performance of Light-bellied Brent Geese on Bathurst and Seymour Islands between 1968 and 1989. In most years, Light-bellied Brent Geese arrived in Polar Bear Pass on Bathurst Island before dispersing to breeding sites on the same or adjacent islands. In the coldest summers, when mean temperatures for the period 1-20 June were below -3 degC, the geese did not attempt to nest. In other years they nested and produced young. In 1987, Arctic Foxes were extremely abundant on Bathurst Island and took large numbers of young, eventually causing complete breeding failure during that year.

Annual precipitation is low throughout the Queen Elizabeth Islands and tends to be greatest during July-October. Delayed snowmelt in June often delays nesting attempts and makes it easier for predators to find nests. The major predators on the breeding grounds are Arctic Foxes, Polar Bears, gulls, skuas, Snowy Owls, Gyrfalcons, Rough-legged Buzzards and Ravens.

Brood-rearing and habitat use. 26 July 2002

This week, the four geese in Arctic Canada have not moved significantly. Hugh is still on Amund Ringnes Island, Major Ruttledge is on Ellef Ringnes Island, Kerry is on Bathurst Island and Austin is on Ellesmere Island. Arnthor is still missing.

On Bathurst Island, brood-rearing occurs on the shorelines of lakes, estuaries and rivers. Rearing habitats are characterised by narrow mossy margins, occasional small patches of wet sedge in lowland meadows, upland areas with sparse cover dominated by forbs, and a few areas of estuarine saltmarsh. Broods feed on sparsely distributed grasses and other fleshy plants and mosses. Those using estuarine habitats also have access to dense swards of Arctic grasses are important components of the diets of goslings in more southerly locations.

Unusual environmental conditions, such as snow-free winters, spring ice-storms and cold summers, can alter the vegetation structure available to birds on the breeding grounds which restricts the distribution of high quality brood rearing areas in many years.

Austin and Kerry make a move. 02 August 2002

This week Austin moved a short distance from Ellesmere Island to North Kent Island and Kerry moved from Bathurst Island to Cornwallis Island. Hugh and Major Ruttledge remain on Amund Ringnes Island and Ellef Ringnes Island, respectively, and Arnthor is still missing.

Although four of the geese are known to have made it to the breeding grounds, we will only find out whether they bred successfully if they return to Iceland and Ireland with goslings. The peak laying period occurs in mid June. The female lays, on average, around five eggs and incubates them for about 23 days. Hatching occurs in mid July.

On lakes, broods are raised singly or in loose groups of 2-3 families (accompanied by both parents), whereas on rivers and estuarine habitats groups of up to 15 families have been observed. Goslings fledge generally in the second half of August and occasionally into early September.

Unfortunately, researchers have been unable to measure nesting or fledging success in Arctic Canada. The only estimates of breeding success come from observations of flocks on the wintering grounds when the proportion of goslings in flocks and individual brood sizes are recorded.

The Major heads east. 09 August 2002

This week, Major Ruttledge has left Ellef Ringnes Island to join Hugh on Amund Ringnes Island. Kerry has stayed on Cornwallis Island and Austin is still on Ellesmere Island. Arnthor is still missing.

Although our observations in Iceland indicated that some of the transmitter birds were paired, others may not have been intending to breed this summer. On Bathurst Island, non-breeding adults assemble in small flocks around nearby lakes,river valleys and mouths of estuaries, during June, to moult their flight feathers. The flightless period begins in early July and lasts around 20-22 days. These birds begin flying again in late July to early August.

Ringing studies indicate that failed breeders moult in the vicinity of the breeding sites and that there may be some fidelity to nesting areas between years, although variations in the timing of snowmelt cause individuals to nest in different sites from year to year.

The Journey Home Begins. 13 August 2002

Our researchers in Canada are telling us that the geese are now preparing to leave on their journey back to Ireland. Get ready to track their progress back. The transmitters are now switched on constantly so that we can follow their every move. The maps on the website will now be updated to show every significant move the birds make.

Kerry shot in Canada! 22 August 2002

Our colleagues from the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) decided to look for Kerry because he was transmitting close to their field station near Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island. Although the team searched for Kerry at several wetland sites known to be used by Light-bellied Brent Geese in the late summer, they returned to the town of Resolute Bay unsuccessful.

However, as they reached the town the transmission signals became stronger and, with the help of the local Wildlife Conservation Officer, they tracked the transmitter to the home of a hunter. The hunter admitted that he had shot Kerry on Bathurst Island on 22 July and had brought the goose back home with him. This explains why we saw Kerry’s transmitter move from Bathurst Island to Cornwallis Island at the end of July.

Although it is sad that Kerry has been shot, WWT now has evidence that Brent Geese are hunted for food in Canada. Subsistence hunting is legal in the Arctic unless the number of birds taken is unsustainable. The hunter said that there were many goslings with the adult geese on Bathurst Island which suggests that the breeding season has been good this year. After careful inspection, the CWS team found that Kerry had been moulting when he was shot and that his new flight feathers were only half grown.

Three geese are still transmitting. Austin is on the western tip of Ellesmere Island, Hugh is travelling around Amund Ringnes Island and Major Ruttledge continues to move in an easterly direction, now located on Graham Island, just north of Ellesmere Island. Arnthor is still missing.

The migration begins. 28 August 2002

Hugh and Major Ruttledge have taken their decision to start their migration back to Ireland leaving Austin for the moment back on the breeding grounds. Our birds have had a perilous few months with only three of the six geese that were originally tagged in Iceland in May surviving to the start of their journey home. Let's send them our best wishes for a safe journey and look forward to seeing them in Ireland very shortly.

Returning fast. 30 August 2002

Hugh and the Major are returning fast. Hugh has already made landfall in Iceland and the Major is close behind. Do keep checking the maps to see their latest positions. The website is being frequently updated during this exciting time www.wwt.org.uk/brent/

Hugh and Major Ruttledge still in Iceland. 23 September 2002

Hugh and Major Ruttledge are still on the west coast of Iceland. Austin remains on Ellesmere Island and Arnthor is still missing.

Numbers of Light-bellied Brent Geese continue to increase at Strangford Lough and other sites in Ireland. As well as undertaking the annual census, many volunteer counters will be monitoring Light-bellied Brent Goose numbers at key sites through the winter.

Before the 1960s, waterbird counting in Ireland was sporadic and the results were largely unpublished. Annual site-based monitoring throughout Ireland has been on-going since the late 1960s and is now undertaken primarily through the UK Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) and the Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS).

The first comprehensive national waterbird counts took place in the winters between 1971 and 1974 and the results were published in ‘Ireland’s Wetlands and their birds’. Over a decade later, a repeat survey, the Winter Wetlands Survey was undertaken, covering the period 1984/85-1986/87. The results were published in ‘Ireland’s Wetland Wealth’. The inclusion of wetland sites in Northern Ireland within WeBS began in 1986. Given the lack of similar co-ordinated monitoring in the Republic of Ireland, I-WeBS was initiated in winter 1994/95.

Hugh lands in Northern Ireland. 26 September 2002

Exciting news! Hugh has now arrived in Northern Ireland after crossing the dangerous north Atlantic. The most recent fixes suggest that he is currently located on Strangford Lough, just north of Rough Ireland which is close to WWT Castle Espie. Staff from WWT are searching for Hugh among the large flocks of birds in the area and we will let you know once he has been located.

Transmitters run down. 4 October 2002

There have been no transmissions from Hugh, Major Ruttledge or Austin since 29 September. We now believe the batteries in the transmitters have run out of power. The last reliable fixes indicated that Hugh was at Strangford Lough (29 September), just south of WWT Castle Espie, Major Ruttledge was still on the west coast of Iceland (25 September) and Austin was on Ellesmere Island (19 September). Arnthor’s position remains a mystery (last recorded on 4 June).

Although staff from WWT Castle Espie and other observers have been searching the flocks of birds (now over 14,000) at Strangford Lough, they have yet to locate Hugh. However, his mate was seen briefly on Tuesday so the chances of him being located are high. We also expect to see Major Ruttledge and Austin in Ireland over the next few weeks. Although we have proof that Oscar and Kerry died during the study, we wait to see if Arnthor, who may have been shot in west Greenland, turns up in Ireland. We will let you know as soon as any of the remaining birds are seen in Ireland.

Hugh and Major Ruttledge have been spotted!26 October 2002

Great news! Hugh and Major Ruttledge have been spotted at Strangford Lough. Hugh was first seen on Friday 18 October, just south of WWT Castle Espie. Major Ruttledge was seen on Wednesday 23 October in the gasworks area, at the north end of the lough. Both birds were fit and well but were apparently unpaired and did not have goslings. A dedicated team from WWT continues to look for Arnthor and Austin among the huge flocks of birds now feeding on the eel-grass in the lough.

The annual census of the population takes place this weekend. Volunteer and professional ornithologists across Ireland will count the Light-bellied Brent Geese at all sites known to be used by the species. The aim of the census is to estimate the size of the population. WWT is also funding a census of the birds in Iceland to ensure that we get the best population estimate possible this year. The Icelandic census will include an exciting aerial census of the east coast of the country where most birds are known to stage.

End of Year Update14 December 2002

As we approach the end of the year it’s time to draw our exciting Brent goose tracking project to a close. Two of the six birds originally tagged in Iceland this Spring (Hugh and Major Ruttledge) made the complete epic round journey back to Ireland and can be seen occasionally on Strangford Lough. Two others are known to have died; Oscar was found by children in Iceland at the start of the project and Kerry was found in an Inuit’s home, having been shot on Bathurst Island in northernmost Canada. Arnthor and Austin have been missing for some time, their transmitters stopped transmitting, so we cannot track them, but our researchers still hope to spot them somewhere in Ireland. The batteries on the transmitters have now expired, so we can no longer track any of the birds. The transmitters are designed to fall off the birds at the end of the project so they do not become a permanent attachment.

We would like to take this opportunity of thanking you for your invaluable support of this project, which has told us so much about the migration of this population of Brent Geese. We hope you found it as exciting and stimulating as we did here.

Next year we are hoping to develop a similar project tracking flamingos on the lakes of east Africa. We hope you might join us again as we follow the travels of these birds using satellite transmitters.

National Geographic
Update 01.01.03
National Geographic, principal sponsor of the WWT project, has now published its summary which you can read at
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1219_021227_geese.html

'Hugh' seen at Bull Island
Update 25.01.03
One of our Brent adopters has just spotted 'Hugh' on Sutton Creek, part of the North Bull Island in Dublin Bay. Hugh was last seen at Strangford Lough on 13 November 2002 by Alex Portig from Queens University, Belfast. Most of the Light-bellied Brent Geese that arrive at Strangford Lough in the autumn disperse around the coast of Ireland as the winter progresses. Well over 3000 birds spend January and February in Dublin Bay which is the most important site in the Republic of Ireland.

The adopter was hoping that this bird was 'Major Ruttledge', her chosen goose for adoption. However, after her excitement at spotting 'Hugh', we now have another dedicated observer looking for colour-marked birds in the Dublin area and contributing to the important WWT Light-bellied Brent Goose research programme. (The batteries in the transmitters were only designed to last a few months and have now all failed, so the only way to locate these birds now is by visual identification of their coloured rings. In addition the transmitters were designed to fall away from the birds during moult so it is unlikely that the birds are still carrying their transmitters in any case)

'Hugh' found in fox's den
Update 25.06.03
Our collaborators in Iceland received a call from a college working with foxes in Western Iceland a couple of days ago. A Brent Goose, later identified as Hugh, had been found in a fox's den.

The Arctic Fox den was on Southwestern Snaefellsnes Peninsula, near Malarrif, thus some distance away from the site where Hugh stayed in September 2002.

Hugh was seen in Ireland last October, therefore it is apparent that the bird survived the winter there and returned to Iceland this spring.

This is now the third goose recovered out of the six birds in the original study and the second bird killed, or at least eaten, by an Arctic fox in Iceland.