Sulkava et al: Monitoring of the late spring staging sites and breeding areas of Lesser White-fronted Goose in Finnish and Norwegian Lapland in 2004–2008 Sulkava et al: Monitoring of the late spring staging sites and breeding areas of Lesser White-fronted Goose in Finnish and Norwegian Lapland in 2004–2008 Monitoring of the late spring staging sites and breeding areas Table 1. Surveys and observations of Lesser White-fronted Goose in Finnish and Norwegian Lapland in 2004–2008. Year Season, area Monitoring Monitoring First Last observation Total number Age distribution of Lesser White-fronted Goose in Finnish and Norwegian started ended observation 2004 Spring, Tana River 11 May 21 May – Lapland in 2004–2008 Valley 2004 Autumn, 19 Aug 2 Sep – Pekka Sulkava1, Risto Karvonen2 & Petteri Tolvanen2 Varangerfj ord 1 Metsähallitus, Natural Heritage Services, Lapland, Peuratie 15, FIN-99400 Enontekiö, FINLAND, email: [email protected] 2004 Summer, Norwegian not surveyed – 2 WWF Finland, Lintulahdenkatu 10, FIN-00500, FINLAND, email: [email protected] , [email protected] core breeding area 2005 Spring, Tana River 13 May 30 May 29 May 29 May 2 2 ad Valley 2005 Summer, Finnish 20 Jul 31 Jul – Lapland 2005 Summer, Norwegian not surveyed – core breeding area 2005 Autumn, 12 Aug 29 Aug – Varangerfj ord 2006 Spring, Tana River 22 May 10 Jun 15 May 16 May 1 1 subad Valley 2006 Summer, Finnish 24 Jul 30 Jul – Lapland 2006 Summer, Norwegian 30 May 7 June ca 21–23 10–11 ad pairs + 1 core breeding area subad 2006 Autumn, 15 Aug 30 Aug – Varangerfj ord 2007 Spring, Enontekiö 20 May 21 May – 009 2007 Spring, Tana River 16 May 5 Jun 16 May 16 May 3 2 ad + 1 subad in valley one fl ock 2007 Summer, Finnish 9 Jun 6 Jul – Lapland 2007 Summer, Norwegian 15 Jun 2 July 20–28 10–14 ad pairs core breeding area 2007 Autumn, 22 Aug 3 Sep – Varangerfj ord 2008 Spring, Enontekiö 16 May 19 May – 2008 Spring, Tana River 6 May 20 May 16 May 16 May 4 2 ad pairs valley 2008 Summer, Finnish 11 Jun 6 Jul – Adult Lesser White-fronted Goose at the Tana River mouth, Finnmark, Norway. © Jari Peltomäki, June 2008 Lapland 2008 Summer, Norwegian 2 Jun 12 Jun 24–32 12–16 ad pairs core breeding area 1. Introduction 2005, Jones et al. 2008). In Finland, LWfG are still seen close to potential breeding areas annually, but since the previous Finnish 2008 Autumn, 18 Aug 30 Aug – Varangerfj ord The Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser eryth- LWfG LIFE-Nature project 1997–2000 (Markkola 2001) there ropus, hereafter LWfG) population has traditionally bred widely have been only few organised surveys in order to fi nd breeding in sub-arctic tundra and forest-tundra zones in northern Finland, birds in the vast potential breeding grounds in Finnish Lapland. tains, but there is also observations of LWfG that have been recent sightings. In addition, WWF-Finland and Metsähallitus Sweden and Norway. The breeding population in the Nordic The migration routes between Nordic breeding grounds and seen in the Tana River valley and that later on during the same organised, in cooperation with the Norwegian Ornithological countries was estimated at ca 10,000 individuals in the early wintering areas in Greece are still only partially known (see spring has been observed at the Valdak Marshes. Society, fi eld surveys of the Norwegian core breeding areas of twentieth century (Norderhaug & Norderhaug 1984). In Fin- Øien et al. 2009). Non-breeding birds start to leave the breeding the LWfG. This area was re-located as a result of the satellite land, the municipalities of Enontekiö, Utsjoki and Inari were grounds already in the end of June and fl y east to the Kanin Pe- 2. Material and methods tracking conducted by the LWfG Life project (see Øien et al. the main breeding areas, but scattered breeding also occurred ninsula, Kolgujev Island or Taimyr Peninsula in northern Russia 2009) in 2006, and the breeding area surveys have been ar- in mountain areas of the more southern municipalities of So- for moulting (Aarvak & Øien 2003, Øien et al. 2009). Success- During the LWfG EU Life-Nature project (2005–2009) the La- ranged annually since then. In late August, a two-week survey dankylä and Kittilä, that are situated in the boreal zone. The ful breeders migrate later, also fi rst towards east to the Kanin pland Natural Heritage Services of Metsähallitus implemented was arranged annually (2005–2008) in the Varangerfjord area decrease of the population started from the early 1900´s and has Peninsula (see Tolvanen et al. 2009). The Varangerfjord area surveys of spring staging as well as breeding LWfG in Finnish (see e.g. Tolvanen et al. 1998). continued until recent days. During the 1980´s and the 1990´s was a regular autumn staging area of LWfG breeding in eastern and Norwegian Lapland with help of volunteers organised by there were only a couple of breeding records annually in the parts of Finnmark and/or northernmost Finland until the end of WWF-Finland. The surveys were directed to the most promis- 3. Results north-eastern parts Enontekiö and Utsjoki municipalities (Øien the 1990’s (Tolvanen et al. 1998), and there is an observation of ing areas based on earlier data, as described above. Monitoring et al. 2001). Since a confi rmed breeding in 1995 there is no staging LWfG in the area still in 2003 (Kaartinen & Pynnönen of the late spring staging sites was carried out in the Tana River 3.1. Monitoring of the late spring staging sites confi rmed breeding records in Finland and the latest published 2004). On the spring migration LWfG are staging in low num- valley (Utsjoki) and in the Könkämäeno - Lätäseno River valley LWfG were observed at the late spring staging sites in Finnish estimate for the Finnish breeding population is 0–5 breeding bers for short periods on the marshes along the rivers Tana in (Enontekiö) in late May for ca two weeks annually. During the Lapland annually: two adult birds in fl ight in the Tana River pairs (Väisänen & Lehtiniemi 2004). The dramatic decline is Utsjoki and Könkämäeno – Lätäseno in Enontekiö in northern breeding season, a team of one to three persons surveyed annu- valley on 29 May 2005, one sub-adult bird in the Tana River considered to be caused most of all by high hunting pressure Finnish Lapland. These are the last spring staging sites before ally (2005–2008) at least one potential breeding area in Finn- valley on 15–16 May 2006 (15 May on the Sirbma fi elds and and habitat loss (e.g. Madsen 1996; UNEP/WCMC 2003; Fox the LWfG are heading towards the breeding areas in the moun- Conservation of Lesser White-fronted Goose on the European migration route — Final report of the EU LIFE-Nature project 2005–2 of the EU LIFE-Nature report — Final route migration Goose on the European White-fronted of Lesser Conservation ish Lapland, based on available recent information and reported the same individual on 16 May on Teppanansaari, Nuvvus, Uts- 36 Conservation of Lesser White-fronted Goose on the European migration route — Final report of the EU LIFE-Nature project 2005–2009 37 Sulkava et al: Monitoring of the late spring staging sites and breeding areas of Lesser White-fronted Goose in Finnish and Norwegian Lapland in 2004–2008 Sulkava et al: Monitoring of the late spring staging sites and breeding areas of Lesser White-fronted Goose in Finnish and Norwegian Lapland in 2004–2008 Teppanansaari island on the Finnish side, ca 45 km north-east 1:286–289. – Oxford University Press, UK. of the Karigasniemi village) are very low. Both of these sites Jones, T., Martin, K., Barov, B., Nagy, S. (compilers) 2008: are also known as regular spring staging sites of other goose International Single Species Action Plan for the Conser- species. The breeding areas of the LWfG visiting these sites are vation of the Western Palearctic Population of the Lesser not known, but based on the late spring observation dates it is White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus. – AEWA Techni- assumed that they are breeding in the surrounding mountain ar- cal Series No.36. Bonn, Germany. eas either on the Norwegian or Finnish side. In 1999 there was, Kaartinen, R. & Pynnönen, J. 2004: Monitoring the autumn however, one observation of a colour ringed adult LWfG that migration of Lesser White-fronted Goose in Varangerf- was fi rst seen (14–17 May) staging at the Sirbma fi elds in the jord area, Norway, in 2001–2003. In: Aarvak, T. & Ti- Tana River valley, and later the same spring (18–31 May) at the monen, S. (eds.): Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Valdak Marshes, Porsangen Fjord, Finnmark, Norway. Sirbma Goose conservation project. Report 2001–2003. – WWF is situated ca 100 km east of the Valdak Marshes, and Teppan- Finland Report No 20 & Norwegian Ornithological Soci- ansaari is situated ca 65 km south-east of the Valdak Marshes. ety, NOF Rapportserie report No. 1-2004:27–28. The surveys of the potential breeding areas on the Finnish Madsen, J. 1996: International Action Plan for the Lesser side did not result in observations of LWfG. On the other hand White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus). – BirdLife In- the potential breeding areas in the mountain areas are vast and ternational, Cambridge, UK, on behalf of the European extremely diffi cult cover by fi eld surveys. Based on the annual Commission. observations in late spring close to potential/historical Finn- Markkola, J. 2001: The Finnish Lesser White-fronted Goose ish breeding areas, and also on the regularly received but un- EU Life/Nature project 1997–2000.