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Each year in the United States, fall‐winter (sport) harvests of goose species are estimated from federal surveys coordinated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, including the Migratory Bird Harvest Survey to estimate total goose harvest and the Parts Collection Survey (PCS) to estimate the species and age composition. For the PCS, randomly selected hunters collect tail and wing feathers of each goose shot during the hunting season, and then biologists determine the age class and species of each sample at organized events (Wingbees) in each of the 4 flyways (Pacific, Central, Mississippi, and Atlantic). For similarly colored goose species, cackling (Branta hutchinsii) versus Canada (B. canadensis) geese (dark geese) and Ross's (Anser rossii) versus snow (A. caerulescens) geese (light geese), different protocols evolved among Wingbees to differentiate samples into groupings of management interest, leading to difficulties in estimating species‐level harvests among the 4 flyways or nationally. We conducted a study among the United States flyways during 2019–2022 to derive thresholds of central tail feather length to discriminate between dark geese and between light geese. We compared morphological‐ and genetic‐based approaches. There was support for 2 distinct mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) clades in dark and light geese, but only dark goose clades corresponded with central tail feather lengths (morphological size and species identification). Derived thresholds for central tail feather lengths of dark geese in the 3 westernmost flyways using genetic‐based species' discrimination were 145 mm for adults and 134 mm for juveniles, approximately 13 mm and 9 mm less, respectively, than thresholds using morphological‐based species' discrimination. There was limited ability to discriminate light geese based on either mtDNA or central tail feather lengths. We suggest managers use our derived thresholds based on genetic‐based species' discrimination to classify dark goose PCS samples. More advanced genome analyses should be conducted before changing current Wingbee protocols for light geese. Lastly, we encourage more studies to incorporate genetic analyses to complement morphological discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Arctic‐nesting geese are specialist herbivores of grasses and sedges (collectively, graminoids). Under moderate grazing pressure, these migratory herbivores can create and maintain arctic grazing lawns with high nutritional content and low aboveground biomass. Nutrient and energy subsidies from southern agricultural landscapes during winter have improved survival among populations of Ross's (Anser rossii) and lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens), leading to marked population growth. Resulting goose hyperabundance has raised conservation concern for resilience of arctic ecosystems to withstand cumulative and intense pressures of herbivory and nest construction. We used both design‐based (experimental herbivore exclosures) and model‐based methods to investigate changes to plant community structure in direct response to foraging and nesting by these species within the Queen Maud Gulf (Ahiak) Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Nunavut, Canada. Annual nest construction and foraging by up to ~1.3 million geese at a large colony at Karrak Lake markedly reduced aboveground biomass of forage (graminoids) and non‐forage (foliose and fruticose lichens) vegetation, with spatial variation in reduction associated with intensity of use by geese. Within vast brood‐rearing regions, foraging reduced above‐ and belowground plant biomass of lowland plant communities by 61% and 29%, respectively, between 1994 (when herbivore exclosures were established) and 2017. In addition to landscape diversity associated with abiotic properties created by geomorphic processes, long‐term herbivory by geese further increased spatial heterogeneity in vegetation at the landscape scale. Although foraging geese nearly completely depleted aboveground plant biomass in some parts of their brood‐rearing areas, belowground biomass was largely conserved, and thus, plant communities had strong potential for aboveground regeneration. We propose that the effects of high‐density nesting and foraging by Ross's and lesser snow geese in the central Canadian Arctic, while extensive, are ephemeral and prone to reversion following cessation of grazing and nesting pressure, such as that afforded by shifts in herbivore distribution or local population decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamics of free‐ranging animal populations can result from complex interplays of survival, recruitment and movement. Yet incomplete understanding of demography impedes conservation strategies intended to modify population dynamics of focal species. We estimated survival and per capita production of young, as well as emigration and immigration, from 1997 to 2017 in Ross's goose Anser rossii and lesser snow goose Anser caerulescens caerulescens, which are sympatric species of migratory birds that nest in the central Canadian Arctic at one of the largest breeding colonies in North America. We formed age‐structured integrated population models (IPMs) for each species that jointly analyzed live and dead encounter data as well as breeding adult population size and fecundity data to understand drivers of population dynamics. We compared the demography between species because both species increased during the 1990s and early 2000s yet thereafter snow geese declined, while Ross's geese continued to increase, then stabilized and similarly declined. Declines in Ross's and snow goose populations were caused by reduced per capita production of young, and juvenile survival, as well as increased adult and juvenile emigration. Stronger declines in juvenile survival in snow geese explain their earlier population decline compared to Ross's geese. Despite the divergence in population trends in Ross's and snow geese, we found strong synchrony in demographic rates which suggested substantial emigration from this colony and similar responses to environmental conditions. Direct estimation of demographic patterns in the IPM framework permitted hypothesis testing and inference about the role of immigration, even though immigrant sources were unsampled. We provide a novel m‐array implementation specific to a multi‐state Burnham model which greatly improved computational efficiency and convergence of posterior estimates. Our findings are an important reminder of the role that permanent movements can play in animal demography and metapopulation structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenological mismatch occurs when the timing of reproductive events and seasonal availability of resources become decoupled, and is increasing in migratory birds in response to climate change. Arctic-nesting geese acquire important nutrient reserves at spring-staging areas, but advancing springs, combined with large population increases and long-term goose-mediated habitat alteration, could induce a mismatch between optimal timing of nesting and accumulation of required reserves. From 2012 to 2019, we randomly sampled Lesser Snow (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross’s Geese (Anser rossii) throughout their spring migration near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Our objectives were to evaluate patterns of protein and lipid accumulation, and draw comparisons to historical estimates obtained before widespread habitat changes. We found significantly reduced pre-breeding protein reserves in Lesser Snow Geese relative to their historical values, but average protein reserve size increased somewhat with declining population size during the years of our study. Lesser Snow Geese catabolized lipid reserves, and no longer increased protein reserves during spring staging. Protein reserves were on average 17–23% smaller in 2012–2019 than in the 1970s, the deficit being equivalent to the amount of protein found in two to three eggs. In contrast, Ross’s Geese maintained lipid reserves, and accumulated protein during the staging period, irrespective of annual Lesser Snow Geese abundance. Based on patterns in gizzard hypertrophy, they appeared to be using a more digestible food source than were Lesser Snow Geese. Declines in protein reserves may hinder the ability for Lesser Snow Geese to keep nutritional pace with increasingly early springs, and could be an important underlying mechanism driving mismatches between vegetation phenology and emergence of goslings. Differences in recruitment between Lesser Snow Geese and Ross’s Geese could be related to differences in nutrient-reserve dynamics during the final stages of spring migration, which can carry over to influence annual breeding probability, clutch size, nest success, and likelihood of mismatch at a population level.

Midcontinent populations of arctic nesting geese (hereafter, arctic geese), including greater white-fronted geese Anser albifrons frontalis, lesser snow geese Anser caerulescens caerulescens, and Ross's geese Anser rossii, have increased in abundance and shifted their winter distribution in recent decades. Consequently, the number of arctic geese wintering in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) has increased since the 1980s. Stored endogenous nutrients are critically important to the life cycle of arctic geese as the geese use these stored nutrients to complete long-distance migration events, survive harsh winters, and supplement nutrients needed for reproduction. This study tracked temporal changes in body condition of arctic geese during the wintering period. We collected arctic geese from October–February 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 in eastern Arkansas. We used proximate analysis to determine size of lipid and protein stores as an index of body condition. Protein stores were more stable through time than lipids, but we observed a slight increase in all species as winter progressed. Mean lipid stores were dynamic and were highest in November and lowest in February. Greater white-fronted geese arrived earliest to the MAV and experienced an increase in endogenous lipid stores during early winter when high-energy food resources were most abundant. Conversely, snow and Ross's geese arrived to the MAV later and did not appear to increase their lipid stores upon arrival. All three species experienced a decline in stored lipid mass as winter progressed; a combination of factors such as resource depletion, a shift in dietary needs, physiological factors, hunting pressure, and increased energetic demands may have driven the decline. An improved understanding of the role that "nontraditional" wintering grounds exert on the nutrient dynamics of arctic geese may aid in the management of growing and shifting populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life history theory assumes a trade-off between reproduction and survival. Investigations of this trade-off in birds have focused primarily on costs of rearing altricial young, because such costs are assumed to be low in species with precocial young. We experimentally manipulated nest success to test for a trade-off between (1) raising offspring for up to 1 yr after successfully nesting and (2) survival in female Ross's Geese (Chen rossii), a species with self-feeding, precocial young. We used multistate capture-resighting analysis that also incorporated recoveries of dead birds for inference about survival. We detected a general negative effect of successful nesting on survival, whereby point estimates of annual survival for successfully nesting females were consistently lower than those for failed nesters. Failed nesters had a greater proportion of mortality attributable to hunting, judging from their higher rates of reported mortality by hunters compared to successful nesters; thus, a cost of breeding associated with successful nesting likely resulted from natural mortality factors during incubation and brood rearing, and not from exploitation by humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-breeding Cackling Branta hutchinsii, Ross's Anser rossii and Lesser Snow Geese Anser caerulescens caerulescens captured during remigial moult on Baffin Island in 2015 showed no loss of body mass with moult stage, and individual variation in mass was largely explained by sex and measures of body size (tarsus length). Exceptional conditions in 2015 resulted in almost no reproductive effort or success in that year, so captured geese of all three species were likely to have been non-breeding individuals that initiated moult early, whereas there were almost no failed or successful breeders, which would normally moult later. This suggests that in a non-breeding year (i.e. in the absence of competition from large numbers of goslings), locally moulting geese can obtain sufficient exogenous energy to meet their needs during the flightless wing moult period without losing body mass. This also is consistent with the hypothesis that in other species of geese, accumulation of fat stores prior to, and depletion of such stores during, wing moult is adaptive and likely to be a feature of individual plasticity to meet particular needs, such as undertaking moult migration to remote sites where precise foraging and predation conditions cannot be anticipated, or where competition from more dominant individuals may restrict their access to a reliable food supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, birds are recognised as important hosts for the ubiquitous parasite Toxoplasma gondii , although little experimental evidence exists to determine which tissues should be tested to maximise the detection probability of T. gondii. Also, Arctic-nesting geese are suspected to be important sources of T. gondii in terrestrial Arctic ecosystems, but the parasite has not previously been reported in the tissues of these geese. Using a domestic goose model, we applied a multi-scale occupancy framework to demonstrate that the probability of detection of T. gondii was highest in the brain (0.689, 95% confidence interval = 0.486, 0.839) and the heart (0.809, 95% confidence interval = 0.693, 0.888). Inoculated geese had an estimated T. gondii infection probability of 0.849, (95% confidence interval = 0.643, 0.946), highlighting uncertainty in the system, even under experimental conditions. Guided by these results, we tested the brains and hearts of wild Ross’s Geese ( Chen rossii , n = 50) and Lesser Snow Geese ( Chen caerulescens , n = 50) from Karrak Lake, Nunavut, Canada. We detected 51 suspected positive tissue samples from 33 wild geese using real-time PCR with melt-curve analysis. The wild goose prevalence estimates generated by our multi-scale occupancy analysis were higher than the naïve estimates of prevalence, indicating that multiple PCR repetitions on the same organs and testing more than one organ could improve T. gondii detection. Genetic characterisation revealed Type III T. gondii alleles in six wild geese and Sarcocystis spp. in 25 samples. Our study demonstrates that Arctic nesting geese are capable of harbouring T. gondii in their tissues and could transport the parasite from their southern overwintering grounds into the Arctic region. We demonstrate how a multi-scale occupancy framework can be used in a domestic animal model to guide resource-limited sample collection and tissue analysis in wildlife. Secondly, we confirm the value of traditional occupancy in optimising T. gondii detection probability in tissue samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the 21st report of the Avian Records Committee of Connecticut (ARCC) for 2016. Update is offered on bird species included in the ARCC's records, as well as additions to committee membership, and state list and review list of bird species. Information is provided on records of sightings of bird species accepted by the ARCC including pink-footed goose, Ross's goose, tufted duck, eared grebe and Cory's shearwater.

We estimated rates of breeding philopatry and complementary dispersal within the Queen Maud Gulf metapopulation of Ross’s Geese (Chen rossii) using multistate modeling of neckband observations at five breeding colonies, 1999–2003. Probability of philopatry was female–biased, but varied among colonies. Probabilies of annual movement among breeding colonies ranged 0.02 to 0.14 for females and 0.12 to 0.38 for males and was substantially higher than expected. These estimates (1) underscore the potential for dispersal to alter breeding distribution, (2) demonstrates that the influence of immigration on colony–specific rates of population growth is nontrivial, and (3) provides behavioral evidence for extensive gene flow among subpopulations. Sex differences in apparent survival estimated from multistate models likely resulted from a combination of higher rates of neckband loss by males compared to females, and higher rates of permanent emigration by males from our study area.

ABSTRACT Emigration is one of the most difficult demographic rates to estimate, yet understanding movement among populations has important consequences for wildlife conservation. We studied factors that affected emigration by adult Ross's geese ( Chen rossii) and lesser snow geese ( C. caerulescens caerulescens) during a demographic study from 1997 to 2013 of nesting geese at the Karrak Lake colony south of Queen Maud Gulf in the Central Canadian Arctic. Rising abundance of both species in recent decades has led to concerns about their impacts on Arctic ecosystems. We used Burnham's model to estimate true survival and fidelity (i.e., the complement of emigration). Mean estimates of fidelity were higher for Ross's geese (male = 0.91 ± 0.02, female = 0.95 ± 0.01) than for snow geese (male = 0.76 ± 0.02, female = 0.90 ± 0.02). Fidelity declined with prior nesting season abundance in both species with evidence that a reduction in population size led to greater fidelity in the following year. Fidelity was positively influenced by mean nest success in the previous year with similar responses by both species. However, years of low nest success were more frequent for snow geese resulting in higher emigration. We expected that deeper snow before nesting would motivate greater emigration but found the opposite effect in both species, suggesting that individuals may be discouraged from dispersing in snow-covered landscapes. We also tested whether a large decline in the number of snow geese nesting at Karrak Lake in 2007-2008 was related to a mass emigration event but found no evidence for a change in fidelity in these years. Moreover, survival of both species showed an increasing trend from 1997 to 2013 so the decline in nesting snow geese likely was an outcome of temporary non-breeding, rather than emigration or death. The destination of emigrants remains unknown, but we expect this movement has broader consequences for metapopulation dynamics of light geese across the central Arctic. © 2015 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada published on behalf of The Journal of Wildlife Management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breeding populations of Nearctic and Palearctic waterfowl have undergone significant changes in abundance and distribution over the past 50 years. The Avanersuaq District in northwest Greenland is home to an assemblage of waterfowl from both geographic areas; however, minimal historic or current information is available on species abundance. In 2008 and 2009, we conducted field surveys in Greenland from 76.00° to 77.35°N for breeding and non-breeding waterfowl and have collected anecdotal field notes of avian observations over a 20-year period (1993-2012). During these periods, we documented the first observation of a Ross's goose ( Chen rossii) and the first confirmed breeding by lesser snow geese ( Chen caerulescens caerulescens) in Greenland. Northern pintails ( Anas acuta) were observed for the first time in northwest Greenland, and a previously unknown breeding location for brent geese ( Branta bernicla hrota) was also identified. Local populations of greater snow ( C. c.) and Canada geese ( B. canadensis) have increased in size. The Booth Sound and Drown Bay wetland areas and many islands throughout the Avanersuaq District were identified as critical habitat for both breeding and non-breeding waterfowl. Further increases in waterfowl abundance, including more frequent rare and new visitors, are likely in the study area as breeding populations further south continue to increase and an ameliorating climate allows for a longer breeding season. These results will prove useful as a baseline for comparisons with future surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The zoonotic parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, has a worldwide distribution and a cosmopolitan suite of hosts. In arctic tundra regions, the definitive felid hosts are rare to absent and, while the complete transmission routes in such regions have yet to be fully elucidated, trophic and vertical routes are likely to be important. Wild birds are common intermediate hosts of T. gondii, and in the central Canadian arctic, geese are probable vectors of the parasite from temperate latitudes to the arctic regions. Our objective was to estimate seroprevalence of T. gondii in Ross's and Lesser Snow Geese from the Karrak Lake ecosystem in Nunavut, Canada. After harvesting geese by shotgun, we collected blood on filter paper strips and tested the eluate for T. gondii antibodies by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and direct agglutination test (DAT). We estimated seroprevalence using a multi-state occupancy model, which reduced bias by accounting for imperfect detection, and compared these estimates to a naïve estimator. Ross's Geese had a 0.39 probability of seropositivity, while for Lesser Snow Geese the probability of positive for T. gondii antibodies was 0.36. IFAT had a higher antibody detection probability than DAT, but IFAT also had a higher probability of yielding ambiguous or unclassifiable results. The results of this study indicate that Ross's Geese and Lesser Snow Geese migrating to the Karrak Lake region of Nunavut are routinely exposed to T. gondii at some point in their lives and that they are likely intermediate hosts of the parasite. Also, we were able to enhance our estimation of T. gondii seroprevalence by using an occupancy approach that accounted for both false-negative and false-positive detections and by using multiple diagnostic tests in the absence of a gold standard serological assay for wild geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a compilation of bird sighting reports from early November 2012 to early December 2012. Ross's Goose Anser rossii was seen to November 19, 2012 at Haddiscoe/Breydon Water, Norfolk in England, while Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii was spotted until November 15, 2012 at Lissadell, County Sligo in Ireland. In Islay, Scotland, Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis were long-stayers until November 28, 2012.

This section offers news briefs on bird sightings. Two Ross's Goose Anser rossii were sighted in Northumberland, England along with Pink-footed Geese A. brachyrhynchus. Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus were also spotted in Kent, England. The Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla Tiree was also observed in Scotland's Argyll, the Outer Hebrides, and the Highland.

Colored neckbands are known to reduce survival rates of geese, but the underlying cause for lower survival is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that hunters cause this lower survival rate by actively targeting neckbanded geese. We evaluated this hypothesis by estimating recovery and survival rates of adult Ross's geese ( Chen rossii) at both Queen Maud Gulf (QMG) and McConnell River (MCR) Migratory Bird Sanctuaries carrying each of 3 marker combinations: 1) standard legbands ( n = 11,321) for basic estimates of recovery and survival rates; 2) standard legbands and colored neckbands ( n = 8,587) as the marked sample most detectable and thus most vulnerable to targeting by hunters; and 3) standard legbands and white neckbands ( n = 6,501) as the sample exposed to the general risks of carrying neckbands but only minimally detectable by hunters, if at all. Recovery rates (±95% CL) of Ross's geese were lowest for those marked with legbands (0.024 ± 0.004 at MCR and 0.016 ± 0.003 at QMG) and highest for those marked with neckbands, regardless of neckband color (0.042 ± 0.005 at MCR and 0.035 ± 0.005 at QMG). Survival rates (±95% CL) were indistinguishable between geese marked with color and white neckbands (0.54 ± 0.08 at MCR and 0.52 ± 0.08 at QMG), but lower than those marked with standard legbands only (0.72 ± 0.17 at MCR and 0.83 ± 0.23 at QMG). Geese marked with white neckbands were recovered at rates similar to those marked with color neckbands, suggesting that hunter selection of color neckbands did not contribute greatly to lower survival rates in neckbanded geese. Rather, results suggest that neckbanded geese, regardless of neckband visibility, are more vulnerable to hunters than are geese marked only with legbands. © 2012 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large increases in several populations of North American arctic geese have resulted in ecosystem-level effects from associated herbivory. Consequently, some breeding populations have shown density dependence in recruitment through declines in food availability. Differences in population trajectories of lesser snow geese ( Chen caerulescens caerulescens; hereafter snow geese) and Ross's geese ( C. rossii) breeding in mixed-species colonies south of Queen Maud Gulf (QMG), in Canada's central arctic, suggest that density dependence may be limiting snow goose populations. Specifically, long-term declines in age ratios (immature:adult) of harvested snow geese may have resulted from declines in juvenile survival. Thus, we focused on juvenile (first-year) survival of snow and Ross's geese in relation to timing of reproduction (annual mean nest initiation date) and late summer weather. We banded Ross's and snow geese from 1991 to 2008 in the QMG Migratory Bird Sanctuary. We used age-structured mark-recapture models to estimate annual survival rates for adults and juveniles from recoveries of dead birds. Consistent with life history differences, juvenile snow geese survived at rates higher than juvenile Ross's geese. Juvenile survival of both species also was lower in late seasons, but was unrelated to arctic weather measured during a 17-day period after banding. We found no evidence of density dependence (i.e., a decline in juvenile survival over time) in either species. We also found no interspecific differences in age-specific hunting vulnerability, though juveniles were more vulnerable than adults in both species, as expected. Thus, interspecific differences in survival were unrelated to harvest. Lower survival of juvenile Ross's geese may result from natural migration mortality related to smaller body size (e.g., greater susceptibility to inclement weather or predation) compared to juvenile snow geese. Despite lower first-year survival, recruitment by Ross's geese may still be greater than that by snow geese because of earlier sexual maturity, greater breeding propensity, and higher nest success by Ross's geese. © 2012 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The section presents a compilation of news, reports and rumors of bird sightings in Colorado for the winter of 2009-2010. The reports include that of the Ross's Goose, the Mute Swan and the Mexican Duck, among others. Counties where Barrow's goldeneye or wintering duck was seen included Routt, Moffat and Boulder. A red-shouldered hawk was reportedly spotted in the vicinity of Kodak SWA near Windsor from January 6 to February 1.

We assessed variation in reporting probabilities of standard bands among species, populations, harvest locations, and size classes of North American geese to enable estimation of unbiased harvest probabilities. We included reward (US$10, $20, $30, $50, or $100) and control ($0) banded geese from 16 recognized goose populations of 4 species: Canada (Branta canadensis), cackling (B. hutchinsii), Ross's (Chen rossii), and snow geese (C. caerulescens). We incorporated spatially explicit direct recoveries and live recaptures into a multinomial model to estimate reporting, harvest, and band-retention probabilities. We compared various models for estimating harvest probabilities at country (United States vs. Canada), flyway (5 administrative regions), and harvest area (i.e., flyways divided into northern and southern sections) scales. Mean reporting probability of standard bands was 0.73 (95% CI=0.69-0.77). Point estimates of reporting probabilities for goose populations or spatial units varied from 0.52 to 0.93, but confidence intervals for individual estimates overlapped and model selection indicated that models with species, population, or spatial effects were less parsimonious than those without these effects. Our estimates were similar to recently reported estimates for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). We provide current harvest probability estimates for these populations using our direct measures of reporting probability, improving the accuracy of previous estimates obtained from recovery probabilities alone. Goose managers and researchers throughout North America can use our reporting probabilities to correct recovery probabilities estimated from standard banding operations for deriving spatially explicit harvest probabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important assumption of mark--recapture studies is that individuals retain their marks, which has not been assessed for goose reward bands. We estimated aluminum leg band retention probabilities and modeled how band retention varied with band type (standard vs. reward band), band age (1-40 months), and goose characteristics (species and size class) for Canada (Branta canadensis), cackling (Branta hutchinsii), snow (Chen caerulescens), and Ross's (Chen rossii) geese that field coordinators double-leg banded during a North American goose reward band study (N= 40,999 individuals from 15 populations). We conditioned all models in this analysis on geese that were encountered with ≥1 leg band still attached (n = 5,747 dead recoveries and live recaptures). Retention probabilities for standard aluminum leg bands were high (ϑˆ = 0.9995, SE< 0.001) and constant over 1-40 months. In contrast, apparent retention probabilities for reward bands demonstrated an interactive relationship between 5 size and species classes (small cackling, medium Canada, large Canada, snow, and Ross's geese). In addition, apparent retention probabilities for each of the 5 classes varied quadratically with time, being lower immediately after banding and at older age classes. The differential retention probabilities among band type (reward vs. standard) that we observed suggests that 1) models estimating reporting probability should incorporate differential band loss if it is nontrivial, 2) goose managers should consider the costs and benefits of double-banding geese on an operational basis, and 3) the United States Geological Survey Bird Banding Lab should modify protocols for receiving recovery data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smaller species are less likely to maintain families (or other forms of social groups) than larger species and are more likely to be displaced in competition with larger species. We observed mixed-species flocks of geese in southwest Louisiana and compared frequencies of social groups and success in social encounters of Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens; hereafter Snow Geese) with that of the smaller, closely-related Ross's Geese (C. rossii). Less than 7% of adult and <4% of juvenile Ross's Geese were in families, whereas 10-22% of adult and 12-15% of juvenile Snow Geese were in families. Snow Geese won 70% of interspecific social encounters and had higher odds of success against Ross's Geese than against individuals of their own species. The larger Snow Geese maintain families longer than Ross's Geese, which probably contributes to their dominance over Ross's Geese during winter. Predator vigilance probably is an important benefit of mixed flocking for both species. We suggest the long-standing association with Snow Geese (along with associated subordinate social status) has selected against family maintenance in Ross's Geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the thirteenth report of the Avian Records Committee of Connecticut. Six additional species to the Connecticut State Checklist are reported, which includes the Ross's Goose, Little Stint and Common Ground Dove. The committee is noted to have accepted records based on one-observer sightings but is shown to be open to consultations with veterinarians and aviculturists. The benefits of digital photography in documenting birds are also discussed.

We surveyed the Lesser Snow (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross's geese (Chen rossii) of Jenny Lind Island, Nunavut, using aerial photography in June 1988, 1998, and 2006, and a visual helicopter transect survey in July 1990. The estimated number of nesting geese was 39 154 ± SE 2238 in 1988, 19253 ± 2323 in 1998, and 21 572 ± 1898 in 2006. In 1988 an estimated 2.7% of the nesting geese were Ross's. The July 1990 population of adult-plumaged birds was 25 020 ± 3114. The estimated percentage blue morph among Snow and Ross's geese was 19.0% in 1988, 25.1% in 1989, 23.0% in 1990 and 21.1% in 2006. Estimated pre-fledged Snow Goose productivity was 47% young in 1989 and 46% in 1990. Combined numbers of Snow and Ross's geese on Jenny Lind Island grew over 250 fold, from 210 adults in 1962-1966 to 54 100 adults in 1985. Numbers subsequently declined, to 42200 in 1988,25000 in 1990,20300 in 1998, and 26400 in 2006. Population decline between 1985 and 1990 was consistent with anecdotal reports by others that die-offs of Snow Geese occurred in 1984, 1985 and 1989, and with our August 1989 fieldwork which found evidence of habitat degradation and malnourishment of young geese. In spite of limited food resources on Jenny Lind Island, the colony continued to exist in 2006 at near its 1990 and 1998 levels. Further studies there could provide insights for management of the overabundant mid-continent Snow Goose population and its arctic habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents field notes of bird sightings in Connecticut from December 1, 2006 to February 28, 2007 during the winter season. Ten Greater White-fronted Geese were seen for the season. An adult Ross' Goose was found on December 11 at Bradley Point in West Haven with a small flock of Canadian Geese. A Cackling Goose has spent the winter at a small pond in Branford. For the second year in a row a Barnacle Goose wintered in Newtown.

Growth in populations of Ross's geese (Chen rossii) and lesser snow geese (C. caerulescens) has led to concerns about destructive grazing of Arctic ecosystems. We estimated the extent and composition of plant communities at Karrak Lake, Nunavut, where populations of both goose species have grown geometrically over the past three decades. Proportion of land covered by vegetation was lower in areas where geese had nested for more than 20 years than in areas with no previous nesting history. Vegetative cover also declined with increasing nest density of both species. Species richness and diversity of vegetation was higher in more recently colonized areas of nesting than in areas with over 20 years of goose nesting. Exposed mineral substrate, exposed peat, and Senecio congestus were more prevalent in areas with a 10-year or longer history of goose nesting than in areas with less than 10 years of nesting. These patterns confirm that increasing numbers of nesting Ross's geese and lesser snow geese have altered the spatial distribution of vegetation surrounding Karrak Lake and reduced the species richness of local plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated effects of ecological and physiological factors on brood patch area and prolactin levels in free-ranging Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens; hereafter "Snow Geese") and Ross's Geese (C. rossii). On the basis of the body-size hypothesis, we predicted that the relationships between prolactin levels, brood patch area, and body condition would be stronger in Ross's Geese than in the larger Snow Geese. We found that brood patch area was positively related to clutch volume and inversely related to prolactin levels in Ross's Geese, but not in Snow Geese. Nest size, nest habitat, and first egg date did not affect brood patch area in either species. Prolactin levels increased as incubation progressed in female Snow Geese, but this relationship was not significant in Ross's Geese. Prolactin levels and body condition (as indexed by size-adjusted body mass) were inversely related in Ross's Geese, but not in Snow Geese. Our findings are consistent with the prediction that relationships between prolactin levels, brood patch area, and body condition are relatively stronger in Ross's Geese, because they mobilize endogenous reserves at faster rates than Snow Geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied harvest of Ross's geese in North America by examining recoveries from 30,774 Ross's geese marked from 1989 to 2001 in Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary (QMGMBS), Nunavut, in Canada's central arctic. Recoveries reported by hunters in North America provided information about timing and location of harvest for 2,152 birds. Banded Ross's geese were shot and reported mostly from the U.S. (68%) and Canada (30%), but also Mexico (2%) during the study. From 1989 to 2001, there have been eastward shifts in distribution of recoveries from the Pacific Flyway to the midcontinent in the U.S., and from Alberta to Saskatchewan in Canada. Harvest in Canada was concentrated in southern Saskatchewan (85%), whereas U.S. distribution of recoveries was much broader with most recoveries from the Pacific (49%), Central (39%), and Mississippi (12%) Flyways. Continental harvest of Ross's geese began to increase in 1994 concurrent with liberalization of hunting regulations in the Canadian Prairie provinces and the Central and Mississippi Flyways, and the increased propensity of U.S. hunters, who now account for 90% of the continental harvest, to hunt outside of the U.S. Harvest from further liberalization of hunting regulations for light geese as part of the U.S. conservation order has accounted for ⩽15% of continental harvest annually since 1998. Nevertheless, increased harvest of Ross's geese from the 1989 hunting season (∼8,000 birds) to the 2001 season (∼90,000 birds) best accounted for annual variation in adult survival, but was unrelated to juvenile survival. Survival of adults was >0.91 before 1994 but declined to ∼0.80 by 1998–2000 hunting seasons. Juvenile survival was relatively stable among years and ranged from 0.33 to 0.41. We found that mortality probability of adults marked with neckbands was 1.94 to 2.62 times higher than for adults without neckbands, but only 1.08 to 1.13 times higher in respective groups of juvenile Ross's geese. Thus, we advise against use of neckbands for estimation of survival in Ross's geese. The similarity and mixing of Ross's geese with snow geese in western and central North America are impediments to separate harvest management of each species. However, geographical adjustment of harvest regulations for Ross's geese in Canada is advised, with the dual objective of reducing midcontinent snow geese while conserving populations of Ross's geese on traditional winter areas in the Pacific Flyway. We recommend Ross's geese continue to be marked with legbands in QMGMBS, their principal breeding range, at least as long as liberal harvest regulations remain in place for reduction of midcontinent snow geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region data set from Lesser Snow Geese and Ross's Geese. Background on previous molecular analyses of Lesser Snow Geese and Ross's Geese; Examination of the halotypes found among the geese populations; Analysis of historical distributions, allozymes and mtDNA of the geese.

The Barker model provides researchers with an opportunity to use three types of data for mark-recapture analyses - recaptures, recoveries, and resightings. This model structure maximizes use of encounter data and increases the precision of parameter estimates, provided the researcher has large amounts of resighting data. However, to our knowledge, this model has not been used for any published ringing studies. Our objective here is to report our use of the Barker model in covariate-dependent analyses that we conducted in Program MARK. In particular, we wanted to describe our experimental study design and discuss our analytical approach plus some logistical constraints we encountered while conducting a study of the effects of growth and parasites on survival of juvenile Ross's Geese. Birds were marked just before fledging, alternately injected with antiparasite drugs or a control, and then were re-encountered during migration and breeding in following years. Although the Barker model estimates seven parameters, our objectives focused on annual survival only, thus we considered all other parameters as nuisance terms. Therefore, we simplified our model structures by maintaining biological complexity on survival, while retaining a very basic structure on nuisance parameters. These analyses were conducted in a two-step approach where we used the most parsimonious model from nuisance parameter analyses as our starting model for analyses of covariate effects. This analytical approach also allowed us to minimize the long CPU times associated with the use of covariates in earlier versions of Program MARK. Resightings made up about 80% of our encounter history data, and simulations demonstrated that precision and bias of parameter estimates were minimally affected by this distribution. Overall, the main source of bias was that smaller goslings were too small to retain neckbands, yet were the birds that we predicted would have the lowest survival probability and highest probability for parasite effects. Consequently, we considered our results conservative. The largest constraint of our study design was the inability to partition survival into biologically meaningful periods to provide insight into the timing and mechanisms of mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared foraging times of female Ross's (Chen rossii) and Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) breeding at Karrak Lake, NT, Canada and examined variation due to time of day and reproductive stage. We subsequently collected female geese that had foraged for known duration and we estimated mass of foods consumed during foraging bouts. Female Ross's Geese spent more time foraging (mean % ± SE =28.4±1.3%; P=0.0002), on average, than did female Lesser Snow Geese (21.5 ± 1.4%). Foraging time by female geese differed among reproductive stages, but differences were not consistent among time periods (stage-by-time block interaction, P=0.0003). Females spent considerably more time foraging during prelaying and laying than during incubation. Ross's Geese also spent a greater percent of time feeding (83.0±2.8%) during incubation recesses than did Lesser Snow Geese (60.9±3.6%). Consumption of organic matter during foraging bouts was minimal; estimated consumption averaged 9.6±4.0 and 12.4±4.6 g (mean ± SE) dry mass/day before incubation and 5.9±2.0 and 5.7±2.1 g dry mass/day during incubation for Lesser Snow and Ross's Geese, respectively. Diets consisted primarily of mosses (bryophytes), Chickweed (Stellaria spp.) and Sedges (Carex spp.). Before incubation, eggshell consumption was estimated as 4.3±3.2 and 0.4±0.3 g dry mass/day for Lesser Snow and Ross's Geese, respectively; neither species consumed eggshell during incubation. We conclude that eggshell from nests of previous years is likely an important source of dietary calcium used to meet mineral demands of eggshell formation at Karrak Lake. Our findings of wide disparities between foraging time and food intake indicate that results from studies that do not directly measure intake rates remain equivocal. Finally, we propose four hypotheses accounting for foraging effort that evidently yields little nutritional or energetic benefit to geese nesting at Karrak Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Ross's Geese (Chen rossi) nest in the central arctic of North America, but the range has expanded eastward in the last two decades. In summer 2014, we discovered a cluster of 48 nesting pairs of Ross's Geese at East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Southampton Island, Nunavut. The Ross's Goose colony was between an upland Lesser Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) nesting area and a low-lying Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) and Atlantic Brant (Branta bernicla) nesting area, in a zone dominated by ponds and lakes and interspersed with areas of moss and graminoids. Our discovery documents a previously unknown level of nesting of Ross's Geese at East Bay and corroborates unpublished evidence of growing numbers of the species on Southampton Island and expansion of its breeding range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the author's first sighting of a Ross' goose in Connecticut on December 11, 2006. At Long Island Sound in Connecticut, the author saw a single Ross' goose along with a flock of nine Canada geese. He observed the bird in terms of plumage, shape, size, and behavior. On December 16, 2006, a single Ross' goose with a small flock of Canada geese were also seen by Penny Solum and Luke Tiller at the Burying Hill Beach in Westport, Connecticut.

The article presents a biography of naturalist Samuel Hearne. He was born in London, England in 1745. He was the first to give a recognizable description of the Ross's Goose named Anser rossii by John Cassin. He noted that the pouch at the base of the beak of a pelican had a capacity of three quarts.

Strong seasonality of high‐latitude environments imposes temporal constraints on forage availability and quality for keystone herbivores in terrestrial arctic ecosystems, including hyper‐abundant colonial geese. Changes in food quality due to intraspecific competition, or food availability relative to the breeding phenology of birds, may have consequences for growth and survival of young. We used long‐term data (1993–2014) from the Karrak Lake nesting colony in the Canadian central arctic to study relative roles of density and phenological mismatch (i.e. days between seasonal peaks in vegetation quality and hatching) as drivers of annual variations in gosling survival among lesser snow Anser caerulescens caerulescens and Ross's geese A. rossii. Survival of Ross's goslings was consistently higher compared to snow geese. For both species, annual gosling survival was greatest when phenological mismatch was minimal and when nesting population size was low. We also examined gosling structural size (1999–2014) in relation to density and mismatch hypotheses to understand whether changes in survival were preceded by a parallel response in growth stemming from a density‐dependent effect on annual forage conditions. After controlling for sex, age and random effects of capture group and year × species, structural size of both snow and Ross's goslings was reduced in years when phenological mismatch was greater. However, there was no significant evidence that body size of goslings was negatively related to breeding population size at the colony. Our results lend support to the notion that both broad‐scale changes in seasonality from observed and predicted warming in the arctic and, to a lesser extent, density‐dependence on brood‐rearing areas may result in changes to offspring quality or survival, with implications for population recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]