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CHANGES IN NUMBERS AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE
RED-BREASTED GEESE
Dan Hulea SOR/BirdLife Romania
www.sor.ro
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• The interest of researchers from the Balkans on
  the Red-breasted goose
• species increased after 1968

• First RBG shot in Romania September 1890

• On 30 occasions, at least one individual was
  shot between 1910 and 1967
• but the flock size varied up to 48
  individuals.

• Ciochia et al. (1969) and Talpeanu (1971) stated
  that the number of
• Red-breasted geese on the coast of the Black
  Sea had increased since 1965,

• During 1964 1970, the lakes and marshes from
  Insula Mare a Brailei and
• Balta Ialomitei were drained and converted to
  farmland

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Locations of the Red-breasted geese in the
wintering area
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• The presence of the Red-breasted geese on the
  Dobrogea in large numbers
• was confirmed in 7 December 1968

• Hunter Black (1996) and Hunter et al. (1999)
  presented counts of 25,000 individuals in
• 1967, 1968 and 1969 but evidence showed that
  only in December 1968 were the 25,000
• Red-breasted geese seen.

• Between 1968 and 1974, the geese were counted in
  Romania during the IWRB mission
• but the number fluctuated from hundreds to
  thousands (Dijksen et al. 1971, Dijksen
• Smith 1974, Johnson Biber 1971, Lebret 1975,
  Scott 1970)

• After a long period of inactivity counts were
  again carried out in 1988 and 1989 and the
• number of Red-breasted geese found in the
  Dobrogea did not exceed 11,500 individuals
• (Munteanu et al. 1989, Munteanu et al. 1991,
  Weber 1990).

• in December 1990 - January 1991 Sutherland
  Crockford (1993) and Vangeluwe
• Stassin (1991) counted about 34,000 individuals
  of Red-breasted geese

• In January 1992 Vangeluwe Snethlage (1992)
  counted 26,913 individuals of Red-breasted
• geese in Dobrogea.

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• Coordinated counts in Romania and Bulgaria during
  the winter 1996/1997 and 1998/2001
• gave a better impression about the size and
  distribution of the Red-breasted geese
• population in the Romanian and Bulgarian Dobrogea
  (Dereliev et al. 2000, Kiss et al.
• 1997).
• In Romania the mean ( s.e.) number of the
  maximum counts between 1991 2001 was
• 34,905 6,578 Red-breasted geese.

1.Johnson Hafner (1970), Ciochia Hafner
(1969) 2. Scott (1970) 3. Johnson Biber
(1971) 4. Dijksen et al. (1973) 5. Lebret
(1975) 6. Puscariu (1977) 7. Weber (1990) 8.
Munteanu et al. (1989) 9. Sutherland Crockford
(1993) 10. Vangeluwe Snethlage (1992) 11.
Black Madsen (1993) 12. Hunter Black
(1996)13. Kiss et al. (1997) 14. Dereliev et
al. (2000), 15. Hulea, et al. unpublished data.
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Maximum counts of wintering Red-breasted geese
during 1968 2001 in the
Romanian Dobrogea.
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Maximum counts of wintering Red-breasted geese
during 1968 2001 in the Romanian Dobrogea.
DISCUSSION

• The presence of Red-breasted geese west the
  Black Sea coast was mentioned much
• earlier than the 1930s period noted by Hunter
  and Black (1996).

• In Hungary, the Red-breasted geese was seen in
  1916, in Bulgaria in 1920 and the former
• Yugoslavia in 1929

• Hunter Black (1996) mentioned that the
  population during the 1930s1940s might
• have been larger or similar to the present
  population.

• During the winter 1968 /1969, we may consider
  that at least 50,000 Red-breasted geese
• were counted in the wintering areas at the
  Caspian and Black Sea but the total number
• of geese remained uncertain.

• In the breeding area, the population of
  Red-breasted geese was underestimated in the
• late 1960s. At that time Smart (1976) estimated
  15,000 Red-breasted geese in the breeding
• area compared with at least 50,000 individuals
  counted in the wintering areas.

• In the late 1970s, the population of the
  Red-breasted geese has increased in the breeding
  
• area accordingly to Vinokurov (1982) to 22,000
  27,000 birds. But counts in Ukraine
• estimated 35,000-40,000 individuals of
  Red-breasted geese on migration towards
• Romania and Bulgaria.

1.Johnson Hafner (1970), Ciochia Hafner
(1969) 2. Scott (1970) 3. Johnson Biber
(1971) 4. Dijksen et al. (1973) 5. Lebret
(1975) 6. Puscariu (1977) 7. Weber (1990) 8.
Munteanu et al. (1989) 9. Sutherland Crockford
(1993) 10. Vangeluwe Snethlage (1992) 11.
Black Madsen (1993) 12. Hunter Black (1996)
13. Kiss et al. (1997) 14. Dereliev et al.
(2000), 15. Hulea, et al. unpublished data.
1.Johnson Hafner (1970), Ciochia Hafner
(1969) 2. Sclished data.
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• These results suggested that the population of
  Red-breasted geese has been little
• affected despite the change of the wintering
  area from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea.

• Coordinated counts in Romania and Bulgaria
  during 1998 2001 gave a better
• understanding about the size of the
  Red-breasted geese population. The mean ( s.e)
  of
• the maximum number of geese counted in the
  Romanian and Bulgarian Dobrogea
• between 1998 2001 was 60,444 14,316
  individuals

• The highest number counted in Dobrogea was in
  January 2000 when 88,425 birds were
• counted. In Kazakstan, during migration
  Tolvanen Pynnonen (1997) estimated in
• October 1997 on the Tobol Ishim region about
  88,000 individuals of Red-breasted
• geese.

• All information about the presence of the
  Red-breasted geese in countries located west
• of Black Sea suggested that the geese migrate
  along Danube

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• From the River Danube, geese migrate upstream
  inland of Romania and Bulgaria.
• In Romania, individuals were shot along Olt,
  Mures, Somes, Cris rivers (Talpeanu 1971).
• In Bulgaria, individuals or small flocks were
  seen along Iskur, Tundzha and Maritsa rivers.
• (Patev 1950, Prestov 1955, 1964, Kalcev 1964 in
  Ivanov 1983)

• Handrinos (1991) considered that the number of
  the Red-breasted geese in Greece was
• bigger until 1968. Habitat loss and disturbance
  caused by hunting were considered
• responsible (Handrinos 1991)

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Roost sites
Meteo stations
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The total numbers of Red-breasted geese and White
fronted geese counted at dawn at roost sites in
the Dobrogea, Romania and Bulgaria from October
1998 to March 2001.

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The total numbers of Red-breasted geese and
White-fronted geese counted at dawn at roost
sites in the Dobrogea, Romania and Bulgaria from
October 1998 to March 2001
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Mean monthly minimum air temperature across six
stations in Dobrogea during 1998, 1999 and 2000
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Mean monthly minimum air temperature across six
stations in Dobrogea during 1998, 1999 and 2000.
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Relationship between the number of Red-breasted
geese counted at dawn at roost sites each month
and the minimum air temperature in Dobrogea.
Data October March 1998, 1999 and 2000. Sample
size is 18.
(F17 11.89, p lt 0.01)
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Distribution of RBG in the wintering area,
October - March 1998, 1999 and 2000
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