Distribution
The present range of the Greenland White-fronted Goose has not changed markedly since the review of Ruttledge and Ogilvie (1979), and remains restricted to the north and west of Britain. As in Ireland, this distribution follows the traditional natural distribution of bogs and wetlands which were its former traditional wintering area, although several flocks exist now on sites which are known to have been newly colonised during the 1930s (e.g. Colonsay and some areas on Kintyre). More latterly, new flocks have become established on Jura (during the early 1980s) and at Sullom Voe on Shetland (first recorded in 1987/88 on artificial habitat). There have been several modifications in the use of different areas since 1982/83, most conspicuously on Orkney where the Tankerness/Holm flock on Mainland which apparently deserted the area for three seasons in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In Caithness, the two major flocks remained relatively stable since 1982/83. Observations in the early 1980s showed that birds in lowland areas regularly commuted to the peatlands of the interior of Caithness, but their use of this patterned bogland apparently declined, perhaps as a result of afforestation of such areas. No such behaviour has been recorded in recent years. Sporadic records of geese on North Uist suggest that this flock, described by Ruttledge and Ogilvie (1979) as extinct, have not recolonised the site.
Several sites have been totally abandoned during the last twelve years, notably Loch Eye in Easter Ross, which historically supported up to 80 Greenland White-fronted Geese, but no birds have been seen there since 1987/88. This has occurred in spite of protection of the Loch and adjacent parts of the Dornoch Firth as SSSIs. This may have perhaps be linked to changes in agriculture and the changes in abundance of other grey geese in the area, notably a large increase in the Greylag Geese numbers using the area. The flock which wintered at Clachan (and considered genuinely separate from the Tayinloan/Rhunahaorine group) has not been seen since 1987/88, but may have since become amalgamated with other flocks in this particular part of Argyll. Barr Loch in Renfrew has shown no evidence of use since 1977, despite the presence of a permanent warden there; its past status as a regular site is questionable, records may have related to staging birds moving elsewhere. Records from the Loch Sguod area of Wester Ross, too, may have always resulted from staging birds en route elsewhere, so the lack of recent records from this resort may not represent a true flock extinction. This situation highlights the difficulties of covering very remote flocks easily, and there remains considerable fieldwork to be done to confirm the status of infrequently used site. However, it is known that the Bladnoch Valley in Dumfries and Galloway has indeed become deserted during the last twelve years, and recent intensive survey by Paul Shimmings and Paul Collin show that the areas once used are no longer visited by Greenland White-fronted Geese. Similarly, the small flock in upland Central Wales in very recent winters has abandoned its former haunts completely based upon intensive fieldwork there by Barry Long.
In summary, therefore, there have been four flock extinctions and two new sites colonised in the last twelve years. Seven additional flocks have been discovered since the account of Ruttledge and Ogilvie (1979) which are now known to have existed prior to 1982/83, namely two flocks on both Orkney and Mull, and single flocks on Lewis, Skye and Danna/Keills. Improved coverage has also confirmed the presence of a flock on Benbecula and two groups on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, as well as regular flocks at Lismore, Benderloch and Moine Mhor in Argyll, where the status of Greenland Whitefronts remained obscure at the time of the earlier analysis.
Abundance
The wintering population in Scotland has almost trebled from c.7,000 in 1982/83 to c.19,000 in 1999/2000. Over two-thirds of these now occur on the island of Islay, where numbers have increased from 3,500 in 1982/83 (i.e. approximately half the Scottish total) to between 11,200 (spring) and 13,900 (autumn) in 1999/2000. On the basis of recorded movements of individually marked birds, it is known that Islay is comprised of several flocks and hence cannot be regarded as a single "site" or flock unit in its own right. Away from the island, there are a further 33 regularly used wintering areas, mostly in western Scotland, varying in size from less than ten individuals to more than 1000. Four sites (Tiree, Coll, Rhunahaorine and Machrihanish) all support more than 500 birds and all have shown increases in the last twelve years. Eleven sites have recently supported 100 or more birds (two flocks in Caithness, Benderloch, Colonsay, Jura, Keills/Danna, Loch Lomond, Bute, Stranraer, Loch Ken and Dyfi Estuary) of which six show stable trends in numbers; the remainder have increased. Six sites supporting 50-100 birds have been stable or slightly increased their numbers, but of the remaining eleven flocks with less than 50 individuals, five continue to decline and none show any sign of increase. As is the case in Ireland, it is precisely the small groups that are in need of the most urgent conservation action, since we have seen four extinctions of small flocks during the last twenty years and we may be witnessing the beginning of the end of yet more.
The current threshold of 1% of the population to qualify a site for international importance fails to protect these smaller groups, which are typically far from other wintering resorts. Hence attention must be given to these flocks if range contraction (flagged as a very important conservation objective in the management plan for Greenland White-fronted Geese and an obligation of governments under the EU Birds Directive) is to be avoided.
Research
GWGS first established a network of observers throughout the wintering range in Scotland and Wales and has co-ordinated the census of the population ever since in collaboration with NPWS, RSPB and DoE(NI) in Ireland to ensure international co-ordination. A number of accounts of the analyses of local flock abundance, distribution and behaviour have been published over the years, detailed in the following site reports. In addition, counts supplied to the Wetland Bird Survey (organised by the British Trust for Ornithology, WWT, RSPB and JNCC) collate counts from sites not included in the monitoring of sites regularly used by the geese.
In more recent years, various involved bodies have carried out detailed counts. In Scotland, SHN have begun to count Greenland White-fronted Goose in their South West Scotland Region, including 10-15 counts each winter on Islay. At the RSPB Loch Gruinart Reserve on Islay, special counts are done for the entire reserve on an even more frequent basis. In Wales, the statutory body there, the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) has recently carried out special surveys of upland resorts historically used by the geese. Special surveys of some of the Dumfries and Galloway and Kintyre flocks have also been carried out for SNH by the RSPB. WWT also initiated detailed studies of the geese on Islay under contract to SNH, with particular emphasis upon the definition of flock units on the island, relating feeding areas to specific roost sites and assessing home ranges of collared and radio-tagged geese. The studies demonstrated that there were substantial differences between the reproductive success of different "sub-populations" between different parts of the island and in different years. Their studies also concentrated on habitat use and assessed the effectiveness of different management techniques (such as liming, fertilising and rush-cutting in old pastures) as a basis for creating refuges which could be used to "decoy" geese away from more sensitive crops. All these studies were initiated to provide detailed information to underpin the Goose Management Scheme on the island (see below).
Marking and resighting of individually marked birds was first initiated by GWGS as a result of their 1979 expedition to west Greenland, and the Study continues to maintain the database of resightings of individually marked birds to the present day. Considerable analysis has already been undertaken and also continues currently.
Protection and conservation
The Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), Environmental Protection Act (1990) and the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act (1991) provide the legislative basis for the protection of Greenland White-fronted Geese in Great Britain. As in Ireland, these domestic legislation instruments incorporate the requirements under the EU Birds Directive which lists Greenland Whitefronts on Annex 1 (see the Irish section for full details). Ramsar, Bonn and Berne Conventions also apply.
In England and Wales, the Wildlife and Countryside Act permits an open season for White-fronted Geese during 1 September - 1 February; in practice this applies to Russian Whitefronts (Anser albifrons albifrons), except at the last remaining regular Greenland Whitefront resort on the Dyfi Estuary. Fortunately, the Dyfi flock has been the subject of a voluntary ban by the local wildfowling organisations since 1972. In Scotland, since 1982, White-fronted Geese have been protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which grants effective protection to Greenland Whitefronts as few Russian Whitefronts occur here. However, between 1988 and 1992, more than 150 geese were shot under licences issued by the Scottish Office to shoot unlimited numbers on the island of Islay.
Because of Islay's outstanding international importance for Greenland White-fronted and Barnacle Geese, a Goose Management Scheme was introduced in 1992/93 by SNH to encourage sympathetic management on land where the geese occur regularly. Financial incentives have been offered under this voluntary scheme to support goose use on farms throughout the island. Payments are offered on the basis of the average numbers of geese using specific fields and in return, the recipients of financial support agree to specific farming practices to ensure sympathetic management for geese. The mechanism has been welcomed, since previously, only farmers who managed areas already of importance for geese could receive financial inducement to encourage geese. The Scheme is a great step forward for goose conservation on the island, since enrolment in the Scheme does away with any need to grant licences to shoot geese.
Site protection in Great Britain is based upon designation of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and as will be seen from the site accounts that follow, many of the roost sites and some of the feeding areas used by the geese are protected under this mechanism. Additional protection through international recognition for has been forthcoming for many sites that qualify, but further progress on declaration of the list of proposed Ramsar and EU Special Protection Areas is awaited to complete this level of site safeguard for the population wintering in Britain. These sites, as with SSSIs, will then require the further formulation and implementation of site management plans to ensure their future.
