We asked Kelly Warren of Wild Spirit Resources a few quick questions about waterfowl.
Ross’s goose – whats the deal with the warts?
There are differing theories with warts on ross geese. Some think it is directly correlated with age, some think genetics. After looking into it deeply, I can find no determination on what conclusively leads to Ross geese with more warts.
Snow goose migration moving west?
North America is currently seeing significant changes in goose migration patterns. From Cacklers on the west coast to whitefronts and snows shifting from Texas to Louisiana and Arkansas. One thing that seems to be a trend is that geese are altering and shifting their migration more than they ever have historically. We are seeing shifts in waterfowl, short stopping in certain areas of North America that are not as cold as normal. As long as there is open water, food and habitat, they will stay. If geese don’t have to migrate they don’t. Agricultural changes are linked to these shifts in some instances. Geese with particular preferences of crops will find them and alter their migration as long as they have the resources they need for survival, and will head back north to breed. Biologists are diligently attempting to track and study these changes for more definitive answers as to migration and distribution changes.
Lesser snow geese that breed on Wrangel Island and Alaska’s north slope have seen significant changes the last 10 years. Their population is increasing rapidly. There are around 90 thousand staying in Northern WA and SW British Columbia. There is now a wintering population of 12-17 thousand in NW Oregon. More wintering populations are showing up in areas like Eastern Washington. Their migration has also shifted more easterly than historical behavior, before reaching their wintering grounds of the Sacramento Valley in California.
Reasoning is now fully known but biologists are tracking these changes to learn more.
Lesser snow geese in the central and Mississippi flyway have also shifted their wintering areas to different locations than what was historically normal. For instance, snow geese that wintered in SE Texas and Louisiana are now more congregated in the interior of Arkansas. This also includes Greater White fronted geese. These distribution changes are tracked using banding data and collar telemetry data.
As dramatically as goose distribution and migration are changing it is likely that it will continue.
Again the likely reasons for these changes are:
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Climate change
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Agricultural change
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Hunting pressure
There is still A LOT to learn on these migrations shifts and collaboration between state, federal agencies, and NGO’s and University researchers are tracking and studying these changes.
Why are there no more neck collars?
Neck collar studies each have their own objectives and goals and once they are achieved there maybe little reason to spend the money for a study where the result is already known. However, there are still neck collars in certain areas of the US that serve their own particular purpose. Leg band studies are also strong, and will likely continue to track age, distribution, migration, ratios and more. With increasing [access and affordability of] technology, more radio/satellite collars are being put on geese to track their specific movements, migration patterns and behaviors. This data is critical to informed management decisions on goose management. We are seeing changes across the US and Canada in goose migration patterns and behavior, and collars may be a likely tool in assisting in the gathering of data needed to understand these changes.
Rivet bands Manitoba… why?
There is a number of banding programs that are testing different bands for durability and longevity. The goose Rivet band vs. aluminum band study is one of those. The goal is to determine what will last longer, and to test if aluminum bands are falling off after a certain duration of time. Similar studies include stainless steel bands vs. aluminum bands on birds that frequent saltwater. This information assists bird-banders and biologists to make the best informed decisions while banding birds to ensure data collection is optimized.
https://deltawaterfowl.org/manitoba-crew-bands-geese-for-retention-study/
Quill lake honker- what are they? Are they that special?
Quill lake geese were coined that name due to a region in Canada that seemed to have a number of geese that carried that genetic abnormality. However, ALL Canada goose subspecies can have Quill lake type abnormalities like white breaks across their chest, white primaries/secondaries, white streaks on their necks, etc. It is likely caused by genetic abnormalities/mutation that are hereditary.
Blonde mallards- what are they?
Blonde mallards are leucistic. Leucism is defined as, “a condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation in an animal, resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticle, but not the eyes”. While leucism does happen in wild populations of geese and ducks, in ducks there are certain breeds of domesticated mallards that are bred for leucistic traits. That is why when you go to city parks or urban locations where there are parks ducks in all shapes and sizes seen. Often time ducks with leucistic traits are present.
This years snow goose hatch.. what’s next?
This years snow goose hatch was very poor, but in general [population] trends of all geese are increasing- so I do not think it will be a new trend even if it is a few years in a row.
NOTE: This information is based on experience, trends, learned information, and observations of waterfowl. Kelly Warren Wild Spirit Resources LLC.
