International Single Species Action Plan for the ... - AEWA

AEWA Technical Series No. 36 - Annexes
Germany (EU)
Vernacular name: Zwerggans
The species regularly passes through Germany in small numbers. Since 1990, 30-100
observations of Lesser White-fronted Geese have been reported annually. The great majority
of birds were observed in the northern part of Germany. Important sites are listed in Section
4.4. Birds of the wild Fennoscandian population tagged with satellite transmitters have been
recorded in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg during autumn migration
(Lorentsen et al. 1998, Aarvak & Øien 2003). At most German sites, Lesser White-fronted
Geese are observed in the company of Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons and are
thought most likely to belong to one of the wild populations. Data indicate that birds from
more than one subpopulation migrate through Germany, with some individuals of the Western
main population also wintering, especially in Brandenburg, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and
Nordrhein-Westfalen (Mooij & Heinicke in prep.). Birds from the Swedish
supplementation/reintroduction programme, typically associating with Barnacle Geese, have
been recorded increasingly frequently in Niedersachsen and Schleswig-Holstein (a total of 29
individuals was recorded in mid-November 1999; van den Bergh 2000), and there is a handful
records for Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. There is one record of a bird from
the Finnish reintroduction project in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mooij & Heinicke in prep).
Under the title of ‘Operation Lesser White-fronted Goose’ (Aktion Zwerggans) a programme
is currently being developed to lead supplemented/reintroduced birds, using microlight
aircraft, from a former breeding site in Swedish Lapland to a traditional wintering area in the
Lower Rhine area of Nordrhein-Westfalen.
The species is fully protected in Germany but Greater White-fronted Geese are still hunted in
places and both species occur in mixed groups (Lorentsen et al., 1998).
Greece (EU)
Vernacular name: Nanochina (transliteration)
The LWfG arrive in Greece by late October to early November and depart by early to mid
March. Lake Kerkini, Lake Ismarida (also known as Lake Mitrikou) and the Evros Delta (all
listed as Special Protection Areas, Ramsar Sites and Important Bird Areas) are key staging
and wintering sites for the Fennoscandian population. Nestos Delta (also listed as Special
Protection Area, Ramsar Site and Important Bird Area) is also a wintering site with less
regular sightings. Though 1,630 birds were counted in the Evros Delta in 1963 (Handrinos
1991), numbers are now far lower. Between 1980 and 1990 counts varied between 30 and 150
individuals (Aarvak et al., 1996, 1997), while a maximum of 71 individuals (for Lake
Kerkini, Lake Ismarida and the Evros Delta combined) was recorded in the winter of
1998/1999 (Lorentsen et al. 1999). More recently, a maximum of 52 LWfGs were seen at
Lake Kerkini in November 2005 (T. Naziridis/LIFE-Nature project, reported on
http://www.piskulka.net/).
52 Lesser White-fronted Geese were recorded using the saltmarshes around the Drana Lagoon
in the Evros Delta of north-east Greece, in early January 2004. One of these birds had been
colour-ringed in northern Norway in May 2004 (Vangeluwe, 2004). This indication that the
Evros Delta is a key wintering area for the wild Fennoscandian population was confirmed
when eight Lesser White-fronts ringed at the Valdak Marshes (Norway) were seen in the
Evros Delta in January 2005 (D. Vangeluwe per T. Aarvak, pers. comm.). Between
November 2005 and January 2006, up to 40 Lesser White-fronts were seen in the same area
of the Evros Delta as in 2005. At least five of these birds carried colour rings (Y. Tsougrakis
International Single Species Action Plan Lesser White-fronted Goose –Annexes
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