Greater Snow Goose population monitoring at Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area
Note:
Latest count of Greater Snow Geese at Cap Tourmente: 10,000 on October 30 2020
Since 1978, the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area (NWA) has witnessed a spectacular increase in the Greater Snow Goose population. Indeed, at the beginning of the century, the population was only about 3,000 birds but now there are close to 1 million. The Cap Tourmente NWA was created to ensure this species’ survival. During their biennial journey between the Atlantic coast and the Far North, Greater Snow Geese stop in this area where they feed on American Bulrush rhizomes and also grain in the fields.
At high tide, Greater Snow Geese are sometimes nearer to the shore and more numerous in the fields; observation is thus much easier (tide tables).
The Greater Snow Geese surveys done at Cap Tourmente NWA over the last two falls (Figure 1) show a peak abundance around mid-October. Up to 34,500 Greater Snow Geese were counted in 2019.
Figure 1 : Number of Greater Snow Geese at Cap Tourmente NWA for 2018, 2019 and 2020
Data for this graph are available in the long description
Long description
| Date | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 13 | not available | 3,000 | not available |
| September 14 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 15 | not available | not available | 1,500 |
| September 16 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 17 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 18 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 19 | not available | not available | 8,500 |
| September 20 | 5,600 | 5,200 | not available |
| September 21 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 22 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 23 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 24 | 19,300 | 4,000 | 11,200 |
| September 25 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 26 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 27 | 20,300 | 8,400 | not available |
| September 28 | not available | not available | 18,000 |
| September 29 | not available | not available | not available |
| September 30 | not available | 8,500 | not available |
| October 1 | not available | not available | 22,000 |
| October 2 | 33,500 | 6,500 | 19,400 |
| October 3 | not available | 8,500 | not available |
| October 4 | not available | 14,900 | not available |
| October 5 | 15,800 | not available | 29,000 |
| October 6 | not available | not available | 36,000 |
| October 7 | 17,700 | 27,100 | 37,000 |
| October 8 | not available | 19,300 | 25,500 |
| October 9 | 37,000 | 5,100 | 17,300 |
| October 10 | not available | 4,500 | 26,300 |
| October 11 | not available | 10,000 | 33,100 |
| October 12 | 30,300 | 16,500 | 17,000 |
| October 13 | 35,700 | 25,000 | 21,500 |
| October 14 | 28,800 | 34,500 | 26,700 |
| October 15 | not available | not available | 43,700 |
| October 16 | not available | not available | 40,000 |
| October 17 | 32,500 | 27,800 | not available |
| October 18 | 16,600 | 29,000 | not available |
| October 19 | not available | not available | 29,800 |
| October 20 | not available | not available | 25,900 |
| October 21 | not available | 23,800 | not available |
| October 22 | 18,500 | 15,600 | 21,700 |
| October 23 | not available | not available | not available |
| October 24 | 14,900 | 25,400 | 32,000 |
| October 25 | not available | 28,500 | not available |
| October 26 | not available | not available | 25,200 |
| October 27 | not available | not available | 21,500 |
| October 28 | not available | not available | 18,000 |
| October 29 | not available | not available | 9,200 |
| October 30 | not available | not available | 10,000 |
| October 31 | not available | not available | not available |
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