Barnacle Geese at Päätyeenlahti in Kitee on October 16, 2023. Photo by: Jari Kontiokorpi / North Karelia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre)
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For the past week, the migration of Barnacle Geese, or valkoposkihanhet in Finnish, has experienced a noticeable delay. Inclement weather, characterized by strong headwinds and rains, has kept the geese grounded in the fields of Southern, Southeastern, and Eastern Finland. However, predictions suggest that the migration will likely conclude by the upcoming weekend.
The geese migration barely progressed during the last seven days.
Over half of the Arctic population remained in Finland, a third in Western Europe, while a minority settled in Russia. The majority of these geese have found refuge in fields across the aforementioned regions in Finland.
As of Monday, no signs of migration were observed in Eastern Finland, in contrast to the South. The largest flock was noted in Porvoo’s Tolkkislandet, where nearly 60,000 barnacle geese surged in a span of two hours on Monday morning. In the capital region, the movement of geese persisted even as darkness set in. Migration in Eastern Finland is expected to resume by Tuesday or at the latest by Wednesday.
According to BirdLife Finland’s Tiira bird information service, gatherings of over 10,000 barnacle geese were spotted in almost 30 different locations, spanning from the capital region to Joroinen and Joensuu. The most significant gatherings were in regions such as Päijät-Häme, Eastern Uusimaa, and Kymenlaakso. Notable estimations include 150,000 geese seen in Orimattila’s Kurunkulma on October 10 and 120,000 in Kärkölä’s Lapinnummi on October 15. Several other locations also reported figures around 100,000.
As of Tuesday morning, 17 GPS-tagged barnacle geese were recorded in Finland. Eight were in Southern Finland, four in South Karelia, and five in North Karelia. Eight of these GPS-equipped geese have already reached territories in Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. Two were in Estonia, and four seemed to be in Russia. Currently, there are 31 operational GPS transmitters, slightly more than initially estimated at the beginning of the fall.
Meteorologist Jarmo Koistinen of the Finnish Meteorological Institute forecasts a cold northerly wind flow for the upcoming week. This will bring night frosts across the country, significantly accelerating the migration of barnacle geese. With these conditions expected to remain ideal for migration until the weekend, most of the geese are likely to depart from Finland, signaling the near end of this season’s migration.
BirdLife Finland and the North Karelia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) continue their tradition of monitoring the migration of barnacle geese from their breeding grounds in Finland to their wintering habitats. The tracking benefits from services like the Tiira bird information platform, weather forecasts from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and the GPS tracking systems provided by the University of Turku and the Natural Re
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
