TY - CONF

T1 - The terms of nesting of Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis in the Russian part of the Baltic Sea

AU - Zaynagutdinova, Elmira

AU - Kouzov, Sergey

AU - Kravchuk, Anna

N1 - Conference code: 19

PY - 2020/2

Y1 - 2020/2

N2 - Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis breed on the islands in the Russian part of the Gulf of Finland since 1995. The number of birds doesn’t exceed 75 breeding pairs. Barnacle Geese in this region have nesting period later than in other Baltic countries, including neighbouring Finland. The egg-laying period starts between 1 May–25 June and peaks during 11–25 May. This 56-day onset of laying period (41 days for 90% of nests) is longer than for Barnacle Geese nesting in western parts of the temperate zone and also in comparison with those breeding in the Russian Arctic. Аll of the islands with nesting Barnacle Geese had Herring Gull Larus argentatus colonies, Egg-laying by Herring Gulls lasted from mid-April until mid-May. Thus, Barnacle Goose incubation coincided with the gulls’ nesting and brood-rearing period. Gulls stay on the islands until their juveniles fledge, and could predate goose nests throughout this period. However, the average clutch size of 4.95 ± 0.07 eggs for Barnacle Geese in the east of the Gulf of Finland is high and stable when compared with other Baltic and Arctic areas. Until 2018, almost all the islands where the Barnacle Geese nest were in the border zone with Finland with very strict restrictions on public access, with the result that tourist activity was kept to very low levels. In 2018, the regulations were changed and now people can visit almost all the islands without permission. Boat navigation in the area usually opens following the ice melt in May, and tourist activity thus coincides with the timing of breeding by geese and gulls, increasing the possibility of anthropogenic disturbance having an adverse effect on the breeding success of the geese, therefore special measures will be required to protect breeding birds in the area.

AB - Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis breed on the islands in the Russian part of the Gulf of Finland since 1995. The number of birds doesn’t exceed 75 breeding pairs. Barnacle Geese in this region have nesting period later than in other Baltic countries, including neighbouring Finland. The egg-laying period starts between 1 May–25 June and peaks during 11–25 May. This 56-day onset of laying period (41 days for 90% of nests) is longer than for Barnacle Geese nesting in western parts of the temperate zone and also in comparison with those breeding in the Russian Arctic. Аll of the islands with nesting Barnacle Geese had Herring Gull Larus argentatus colonies, Egg-laying by Herring Gulls lasted from mid-April until mid-May. Thus, Barnacle Goose incubation coincided with the gulls’ nesting and brood-rearing period. Gulls stay on the islands until their juveniles fledge, and could predate goose nests throughout this period. However, the average clutch size of 4.95 ± 0.07 eggs for Barnacle Geese in the east of the Gulf of Finland is high and stable when compared with other Baltic and Arctic areas. Until 2018, almost all the islands where the Barnacle Geese nest were in the border zone with Finland with very strict restrictions on public access, with the result that tourist activity was kept to very low levels. In 2018, the regulations were changed and now people can visit almost all the islands without permission. Boat navigation in the area usually opens following the ice melt in May, and tourist activity thus coincides with the timing of breeding by geese and gulls, increasing the possibility of anthropogenic disturbance having an adverse effect on the breeding success of the geese, therefore special measures will be required to protect breeding birds in the area.

M3 - Abstract

SP - 15

Y2 - 28 January 2020 through 31 January 2020

ER -