About this book
Wildfowl is an international scientific journal, published annually by Wildfowl Press, and previously published by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (from 1948–2020). It disseminates original material on the ecology, biology and conservation of wildfowl (Anseriformes) and ecologically associated birds (such as waders, rails and flamingos), and on their wetland habitats.
Wildfowl 75 notably includes several papers which describe the results of long-term studies. Two review papers – on the behavioural ecology of urban Greylag Geese Anser anser and the breeding strategies of Dark-bellied Brent Geese Branta b. bernicla – both give an excellent description of research undertaken on the factors affecting these populations over many years. A relatively recent change in the nesting behaviour of urban Greylags is also described in a separate contribution, with the geese in Hamburg found nesting on buildings (instead of at ground level) since 2013, at heights of up to 25 m. The photographs of females sitting in planters on balconies overlooking the city are quite dramatic. More worryingly, another long-term study, on the status of the NE/NW European population of Bewick’s Swans Cygnus columbianus benicki, found that the declining trend in numbers since the peak of 29,780 birds in the mid-1990s is continuing. The January 2020 census found only 12,930 birds in the population, the lowest estimate since the mid-20th century. Moreover, with population-level breeding success continuing to be low, it is anticipated that the next census (in January 2026) will find that numbers have declined further still.
Several more papers on geese appear in Wildfowl 75, including a very timely analysis of the ingestion of synthetic micro-particles by geese in Great Britain and Ireland, which provides further evidence on the extent of this environmental issue. The parental behaviour of Pink-footed Geese Anser brachyrhynchus during autumn migration is analysed, with results discussed in relation to cooperation between paired birds throughout their annual cycle. Two short communications from studies of Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons are also presented: one describing male nest-sitting during incubation; the other on the effect of neckbands on the birds’ pairing status. For the ducks, we read of the value of ring recovery data for assessing changes in hunting pressure for Common Teal Anas crecca, which suggest that hunting of this species has become increasingly concentrated in France during the 21st century. Further north, a comparative study of variation in hatching success for sea ducks (Common Eider Somateria m. mollissima, Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca and Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator) breeding on an island in the Baltic Sea interestingly found a lack of covariation between the species over the years, which indicates that species-specific traits (e.g. phenology and behaviour) may override other local factors influencing breeding success. Whilst in the Caucasus, historical data on the contraction in range of Velvet Scoters Melanitta fusca breeding in the region (to the birds’ only remaining breeding colony at Lake Tabatskuri in Georgia) are analysed, and current conditions at sites previously used by the species assessed. The findings provide important information needed for developing the conservation measures required to restore the species to its former range.
Contents
Editorial 1
Review Papers
- Behavioural ecology of urban Greylag Geese Anser anser – natural selection in the contemporary European city environment / F. Woog 3
- Breeding strategies of Dark-bellied Brent Geese Branta b. bernicla in a lemming-driven ecosystem in northern Siberia / B.S. Ebbinge, R.A. Bom, S. Broekhuizen, F. Cottaar, Y.I. Kokorev, G. Müskens & I.Y. Popov 32
Standard Papers
- Decline of the Bewick's Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii population wintering in Northeast/Northwest Europe / K. Koffijberg, N. Prior, P. Clausen, K. Brides, C. Kowallik, M. Hornman, K. Devos, W. Meisner, W. Tijsen, B. Burke, L. Luigujõe, A. Stīpniece, L. Sniauksta, L. Nilsson, N. Strebel, C. Moussy, N. Calbrade, P. Shimmings, T. Langendoen, K.A. Wood & E.C. Rees 63
- Parental behaviour in autumn-staging Pink-footed Geese Anser brachyrhynchus / I.M. Tombre, H. Kristoffersen & J. Madsen 94
- Urban Greylag Geese Anser anser nesting on roofs in the city of Hamburg, northern Germany / S. Hinrichs, J.-L. Berthoud & F. Woog 108
- Widespread ingestion of synthetic micro-particles by geese across Great Britain and Ireland / N.E. Coughlan, C. Baker-Horne, K. Brides, E.M. Cunningham, J.T.A. Dick, S. Doyle, A.J. Green, R.M. Griffith, L. Lyne, B.J. McMahon, S.W. Petrek, H.M. Williams & T.C. Kelly 121
- Assessing geographic changes in hunting pressure on wildfowl through ring recovery locations / B. Plaquin, M. Guillemain, J. Champagnon & A. Tableau 146
- Contraction of range, declines in abundance and site-based threats to Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca breeding in the Caucasus / Ö.Ü. Özkoç, N. Paposhvili, K. Aghababyan, I.K. Petersen & A.D. Fox 159
- Interspecific variation in hatching success among three sea duck species at one breeding site in the Baltic Sea / N. Liljebäck, I.H. Sørensen, F. Haas, J. Sterup, A. Stålnäbb & J. Månsson 185
Short Communication
- A case of male nest sitting in the Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons / D.R. Polikarpova, D.R. Abdulazhanova, J.A. Loshchagina, P.M. Glazov, O.A. Babkina, A. V. Kondratyev & E.M. Zaynagutdinova 202
- The effect of neckbands on the pairing status of Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons / O.A. Babkina, D.R. Polikarpova, K.E. Litvin, P.M. Glazov, J.A. Loshchagina & E.M. Zaynagutdinova 212
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