Greater Snow Goose population monitoring at Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area
Greater Snow Geese are back at the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area.
Note:
Latest count of Greater Snow Geese at Cap Tourmente: 11,500 on October 31, 2023
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 between late September and mid-October. Up to 45,000 Greater Snow Geese were counted in 2022.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/13 | NA | NA | NA |
| 9/14 | NA | NA | NA |
| 9/15 | NA | NA | 400 |
| 9/16 | 1,100 | NA | NA |
| 9/17 | NA | NA | NA |
| 9/18 | NA | NA | NA |
| 9/19 | NA | NA | NA |
| 9/20 | NA | NA | 1,800 |
| 9/21 | NA | NA | NA |
| 9/22 | NA | NA | 1,000 |
| 9/23 | 4,600 | 17,200 | 1,000 |
| 9/24 | NA | 25,000 | NA |
| 9/25 | 6,500 | 40,700 | NA |
| 9/26 | NA | NA | 16,000 |
| 9/27 | NA | NA | 20,500 |
| 9/28 | NA | 38,000 | 21,200 |
| 9/29 | NA | 45,000 | 24,100 |
| 9/30 | NA | NA | NA |
| 10/1 | 9,000 | NA | NA |
| 10/2 | 6,300 | NA | NA |
| 10/3 | 8,800 | 49,300 | 21,000 |
| 10/4 | 18,400 | 31,500 | 38,000 |
| 10/5 | 36,500 | 17,000 | 43,200 |
| 10/6 | 22,000 | 16,900 | 20,500 |
| 10/7 | 33,000 | 16,300 | NA |
| 10/8 | 35,000 | NA | NA |
| 10/9 | 56,500 | 12,400 | NA |
| 10/10 | 40,000 | NA | 23,600 |
| 10/11 | 55,200 | 32,200 | 16,300 |
| 10/12 | NA | 22,400 | 18,600 |
| 10/13 | NA | NA | 24,500 |
| 10/14 | 51,200 | NA | NA |
| 10/15 | 30,000 | NA | NA |
| 10/16 | NA | NA | 24,800 |
| 10/17 | NA | NA | 35,200 |
| 10/18 | 17,100 | 15,800 | 22,000 |
| 10/19 | 29,500 | 8,200 | 31,200 |
| 10/20 | 26,000 | NA | 31,500 |
| 10/21 | 19,400 | 19,000 | NA |
| 10/22 | 17,300 | NA | NA |
| 10/23 | 19,500 | 13,000 | 29,500 |
| 10/24 | 31,000 | NA | 31,100 |
| 10/25 | 28,000 | NA | NA |
| 10/26 | NA | 3,000 | 20,000 |
| 10/27 | 24,800 | 15,000 | 25,500 |
| 10/28 | 33,000 | 9,500 | NA |
| 10/29 | NA | NA | NA |
| 10/30 | NA | NA | NA |
| 10/31 | NA | NA | 11,500 |
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