Project summary
45
Birds colour-marked
8
Sightings received
2023
Year project started
Colour-marks used
(all letters). BTO metal ring on a leg.
All combinations on collars for this project start either XH, XJ or XU followed by a third letter between A-Z. If your sighting is not a combination fitting these codes please email the sighting to colourmarkedwildfowl@wwt.org.uk
Background
Pink-footed Geese have been intensively studied through a long-term life history study undertaken by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) in collaboration with the Icelandic Institute for Natural History (IINH) and various ringing groups in Britain.
Ringing work on the species was initiated by Sir Peter Scott in the early 1960s, which saw thousands of Pink-footed Geese being rounded up and ringed in Iceland. In recent years, the ringing effort in Iceland has been spearheaded by Arnór Sigfússon and Halldór Stefansson. On the wintering grounds in Britain, the use of rocket netting and later cannon-netting mostly led by Carl Mitchell and Larry Griffin has been used to capture and colour-mark wintering birds. After nearly 7,000 individuals being colour-marked and some 60,000+ sightings being collated, in 2021 this long-term life history study came to an end.
To continue collecting data to contribute to the demographic monitoring of the Iceland/Greenland population of Pink-footed Geese, the Waterbird Colour-marking Group will continue to catch and colour-mark small numbers of geese wintering in Britain.
.
Waterbird Colour-marking Group 