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June 2008 – The WOW demonstration project team
in the Silma Nature Reserve in north-west Estonia, implemented
by the Estonian State Nature Conservation Centre (SNCC),
is excited by this year’s bird monitoring data. In
spring 2008 the WOW demonstration area was the main stopover
site in Estonia for the globally endangered Lesser White-fronted
Goose (LWfG), Anser erythropus. This past April
and May, at least 22 different birds were observed at the
demonstration site.
All birds were identified by video analysis
of their individual belly patches. Two individuals equipped
with satellite transmitters in the framework of the EU LWfG
Life project were also observed at the site.
This is the first time since the early 1990s that the number
of birds in the Silma Nature Reserve exceeded 20 individuals.
Usually, no more than 1-4 individuals are observed during
the spring migration, in 2007 a total of 8 birds were seen
at Haapsalu Bay in Estonia.
The annual monitoring has been implemented
in cooperation between SNCC, WWF Finland and LWfG EU Life
project team. The counts are a vital component in establishing
long-term population trends of various migratory waterbird
species.
Currently the size of Fennoscandian LWfG
population is estimated at a maximum of 20-30 breeding pairs.
During the spring migration period about a third of the
population is thought to be staging along the coastal meadows
in western Estonia. The sightings in Estonia also contribute
to the updating of the International LWfG Action Plan which
is currently underway with the 22 principal range states
to the species, under the auspices of AEWA.
Further information:
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