Greylag goose

Short abstract from the book:
Greylag goose has been extinct in the Faroes but became re-established in the 1960’s. It is now a common breeding bird. 85 greylag geese have been ringed, mostly in Marknagil (61) and Fjallavatn, Vágar (21). The first was ringed in 1970, and most have been ringed in 1986 (34) and 1987 (34). The majority have been ringed in July (98%). Of known age birds (n=89), 39% were ringed as chicks, 19% in their 1st calendar- year, and 42% as older. There are 25 recoveries of greylag goose ringed in the Faroes of which two were recovered abroad. The birds recovered in the Faroes have been recovered 0-69 km from the ringing site (mean 12 km). There are five recoveries from the winter period (January-February). Of greylag geese ringed as chicks and recovered the following season, the average distance from the ringing site is 21 (9-36) km. Of the four birds ringed as adults and recovered one of the following seasons, the average recovery distance was 2 km. The most frequent causes of recovery were shooting (9) and capture by bird (5). A greylag goose ringed as young (1st calendar-year) on 19 July 1986 at Fjallavatn, Vágar, was shot six months later (13 December) at Forres in Scotland, 543 km SSE of the ringing site. Another bird, ringed as a chick on 18 July 1987 at Fjallavatn, Vágar, was shot on 10 November 1988 at Filsø, Denmark, 1,138 km SE of the ringing site. Five greylag geese ringed abroad have been recovered in the Faroes, three from Iceland, one from Scotland and one from the Netherlands. The three Icelandic birds were ringed in July and recovered in the Faroes in December, January and April, two of them in the following winter/ spring. A bird ringed as an adult male on 30 November 2003 in Tayside, Scotland, was seen in several consecutive winters in Scotland and Orkney until it was recorded in Sørvágur, Vágar, on 17 October 2007 presumably during migration. A greylag goose ringed on 30 May 1974 in the Netherlands was found dead on 15 March 1976 on Nólsoy. The Faroese breeding population apparently winters in the Faroes and Scotland. The wintering population might be supplemented by individuals from the Icelandic population. The Icelandic population winters mostly in Scotland, N England and Ireland.

Read more about the species in the chapter from The Faroese Bird Migration Atlas here