Breeding range expansion of Barnacle and Brent Geese in the Russian European North

Abstract

In 1990 a large settlement of Barnacle Geese, Branta leucopsis, was discovered in salt marsh grassland near Shoina (67°50?N. 44°10?E), on the Kanin Peninsula, Russia. The settlement consisted of approximately 350 breeding pairs in 1990 and 400–450 pairs in 1991. Three nests of the Brent Goose (B.b.bernicla) were also found at the edge of the Barnacle Goose colonies. These high Arctic goose species, which traditionally have their breeding grounds in northern Russia, have begun colonising on the Kanin Peninsula only recently, the Barnacle Goose since the early 1980s and the Brent Goose since 1990. Factors contributing to the successful colonisation of these two goose species on the Kanin Peninsula and to the present day expansion of the Barnacle Goose breeding range are discussed.