Coastal Resource Information System
Geese and Swans
METADATAThe greatest numbers of geese and swans in the study area occurs from August through April. Although some individuals occur in the protected bays and estuaries year round, no nesting records exist. These birds are moderate to highly vulnerable to oil on the water (King and Sanger 1979). Mortality of oiled birds can be very high. However, Canada Geese, White-fronted Geese and Swans spend considerable time on non-marine habitats, thereby lessening their potential exposure to spilled oil. Swans frequent estuaries, where river flow may keep oil away from the shoreline. Snow Geese spend most of their time on marine waters in the study area and are, therefore, at a greater risk of exposure. Brant are highly vulnerable to oil because they spend all of their time at sea resting on exposed mudflats or spits.
Geese and Swans are not vulnerable to oil cleanup during the breeding season because they do not nest in the study area. At other times of the year they may habituate to disturbances or easily move away from them.
Goose and Swan species present in Coastal BC:
Detailed species reports from the British Columbia Species and Ecosystem Explorer are available by following the above links.
These species are also breifly described below in exerpts from: The Birds of British Columbia, Vol. 2, Nonpasserines: Diurnal Birds of Prey through Woodpeckers by R. Wayne Campbell, Neil K. Dawe, Ian McTaggart-Cowan, John M. Cooper, Gary W. Kaiser and Michael C.E. McNall.
Canada Geese
During the 1940’s Canada
Geese were mainly a migrant and summer visitor in British Columbia. In
the 60’s and 70’s resident populations became well established
and began to increase, partly due to the natural adaptability of the species
but primarily because of transplants of flightless young and breeding
stock from a wide variety of races. They can be found almost anywhere
permanent water and grazing areas are available. In the autumn, the coastal
movement is most noticeable in the vicinity of Tofino. Numbers begin to
build around the first 3 weeks of October and reach a peak during the
first week of November. (Photo credits: Ministry of Environment, Lands
and Parks, Province of British Columbia)
Snow Goose
The
Snow Goose is distributed during migration along coastal British Columbia,
primarily from Juan de Fuca Strait, north along the inner coast to northern
Vancouver Island and the north coastal region. The Snow Goose is primarily
a winter visitor to the inner coastal areas of the eastern Strait of Georgia
and Puget Sound where they frequent marshes off the Fraser River delta
in BC and Skagit-Stillaguamish River in Washington. (Photo credits:
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Province of British Columbia)
Brant
The Brant is widely distributed along coastal BC, particularly the
inner coast. It is rarely found in the interior of the province. It occurs primarily on
estuaries, beaches, bays, lagoons and mudflats. It is extremely rare any distance from the
ocean. In BC it occurs chiefly as a spring migrant, during which time thousands are
widespread along the coast littoral. Areas of concentration are Boundary Bay and the
eastern coast of Vancouver Island from Victoria to Campbell River. The distribution of
Brant in the province is closely related to the distribution of eel grass (Zostera
marina) which is the Brant’s most important food (Cottam et al. 1944). (Photo
credit: Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Province of British Columbia)
Greater White-fronted Goose
The
Greater White-fronted Goose population in North America can be divided
into 2 distinct compounds. The Pacific Flyway component is the largest
with an average autumn population (1979 to 1983) of 98,000 birds. The
number of geese regularly found along the coast each year is small compared
to the total population. Except during main migration periods, White-fronts
are frequently found associating with Canada Geese, Snow Geese or Domestic
Geese. They frequent a variety of habitats, such as shallow waters of
sloughs, marshes, ponds and lagoons, as well as flooded land and dry fields,
lakes, mudflats and golf courses. Spring migration occurs throughout the
province from late March through late May and seems to be gradual. Peak
numbers probably occur from mid April through early May on the coast.
A few birds may be scattered along the coast in the summer. Small numbers
of birds winter along the coast. (Photo credit: Rob Butler, Canadian
Wildlife Service)
Trumpeter Swan
The Trumpeter Swan is mainly a winter visitor along the coast; 70%
of all records are from coastal areas and of those, 91% are from the period October
through to March. Main coastal wintering concentrations occur on Vancouver Island and in
the Fraser Lowlands. The Trumpeter Swan frequents sheltered, often shallow aquatic
habitats. On the coast their habitats include estuaries, agricultural fields, sloughs,
bays and lakes, and tidal mudflats. (Photo credits: Ministry of Environment, Lands and
Parks, Province of British Columbia)