Autumn migration of Light-bellied Brent Geese Branta bernicla hrota through North-West Greenland

Abstract

Light-bellied Brent Geese arrive to north-west Greenland mainly from late August and most have left the area by mid-September in accordance with the arrival pattern in Iceland. At least some of the Brent Geese stage in coastal areas, mainly on Svartenhuk Peninsula and Disko Island. Most of the geese seem to arrive in the Svartenhuk/Disko area directly from Canada, and some via the Thule District and islands off north-west Greenland. The main pathway to the east coast of Greenland is probably from the Disko Bugt, but observations indicate that some may cross both north and south of this flyway. The low numbers recorded compared to the total flyway population suggest that a large part either went undetected by us, or migrate from Canada to the staging areas in western Iceland without stop-overs in north-west Greenland.