Marindeagle: Ilus Eesti

In Estonia, everything starts to sprout, grow, flower, and smile! I am here to continue my Ph. D. research project, which is focused on the question: why are barnacle geese changing their spring migration strategies?

Transforming from old to young in Estonian spring! - Haapsalu

Before jumping right in the world of geese, I'd like to solve some confusion. Barnacle geese (brandganzen) are NOT brown! They are different than the most common Dutch goose (grauwe gans, greylag goose):

Grauwe gans (Anser anser) en geen brandgans (Branta leucopsis)

Barnacle geese (brandganzen) are black and white like zebras:

Brandgans (Branta leucopsis)

Do not confuse them with burning greylag geese,these are neither brandganzen:

Tricky goose: brandende gans

Barnacle geese are beautiful black and white geese that now stay one month longer in their wintering habitat (Netherlands and other areas) than they used to before the mid 1990s. This is a nuisance for Dutch farmers that earn money with grass, because the longer geese stay, the more damage they cause. Furthermore, the barnacle goose population has grown exponentially since the 1960s.

Barnacle geese in Workum

Barnacle geese at Marken

In Estonia, geese arrive later but leave around the same date as they always did. Many things have changed for geese: they lost natural habitat, they adapted to cultivated grassland, they started breeding at unusual sites, and their old enemy, the white-tailed sea eagle, is spreading its home range to the west. I will investigate how barnacle geese use their habitat in Estonia. Cutting grass, drying grass, counting poo, and observing geese will be part of the job. I will visit several sites with different characteristics and try to identify patterns from what geese do. What are they afraid of? Why do they feed in some areas, but not in others?

Without saying too much more, enjoy the photos and stay tuned!