Migration Routes and Recovery Rates of Lesser Snow Geese from Southwestern Hudson Bay

Abstract

Patterns of band recoveries for hunted populations of birds provide information on the hunting pressure to which the population is subject; yet little is known about these patterns in lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens). Consequently, we compared recovery patterns for lesser snow geese nesting at La Perouse Bay, Manitoba (LPB) and Cape Henrietta Maria, Ontario (CHM) between 1970 and 1979 to test whether geese from both colonies followed the same migration routes and experienced the same hunting pressure. Relatively few geese from LPB were recovered along Hudson Bay, but large numbers were recovered in southern Manitoba and North Dakota. In contrast, geese from CHM were recovered in large numbers around James Bay, but then most appeared to migrate directly to stopover sites along the Missouri River