The Connectivity of Spring Stopover Sites for Geese Heading to Arctic Breeding Grounds

During the spring migration arctic-breeding geese pause in temperate and subarctic staging areas in order to deposit body reserves for breeding. Focusing on a single arctic stopover site in West-Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway (Varsolbukta, 77°45′N, 14°24′E), behavioural strategies of Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis were investigated and body condition and presence of individually marked birds recorded. Individuals using different staging areas earlier along the migration route (Helgeland and Vesteralen on the Norwegian mainland) and heading to different breeding colonies (the close-by Nordenskioldkysten, and the distant Kongsfjorden) were compared during springs 2003–05. Birds in Vesteralen left the staging area earlier than those in Helgeland, and arrived earlier in Varsolbukta as well. In Varsolbukta, females gained body condition at a similar rate regardless of their colony affiliation, whereas males from Nordenskioldkysten exhibited a smaller overall increase in condition compared to males from Kongsfj...