Fjällräven Experience

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Notes from the Field: Releasing of the geese

The Fjällgås project has been running since the 1970s in an effort to save the endangered Swedish Lesser White-fronted Goose population from extinction. It is estimated that fewer than 200 of these birds remain and it is only thanks to the hard work, dedication, and knowledge of the team behind the project that these birds have a chance of survival. Following a great deal of preparation, some of the birds were recently released into the wild. To give you an insight into the work being done out in the field Sarah Nordlinder, Project Coordinator for the work with the Lesser White-fronted Goose at The Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management, hasshared with us her field notes

Notes from the field:

After a year of careful preparations, it was finally time. Today was the day when it was going to happen -the transport of this year’s young Lesser White-fronted Geese from the breeding station to the release site in the mountains of Norrbotten.

There, the young geese will quickly adapt to “become wild geese” and the goal is for them to integrate with the wild population and thereby prevent it from decreasing.

I, Sarah Nordlinder, together with project volunteer Viktoria Andersson were going to carry out this transport. A trip of around 1300 kilometres, or 800 miles, where you really get a chance to reflect upon how vast this country is and the variety of nature it contains.

The day began with catching and loading the geese into their transport boxes and then into the vehicle. Some of the geese were equipped with GPS-collars that will enable us to follow their movements in the wild. For me, catching and loading the geese is associated with mixed feelings. This is what we worked for all year and the reinforcement releases have, for many years, been crucial to the survival of the Swedish Lesser White-fronted Goose population. I am incredibly proud to be involved and to contribute to this, but it is also a bit difficult to let go of the geese as they, literally, try to spread their own wings.

When everything was ready, checked and double-checked again, thermometers were installed to enable temperature control inside the transport boxes. This was to prevent any geese from becoming too hot during transport.

Despite the prevailing summer heat, Viktoria and I got dressed in thick sweaters, turned the air conditioning on max, and set off north. In Umeå, we just managed to get to the grocery store at Berghem before closing time. There we stocked up on the provisions we expected to need during our stay in the mountains including some extra chocolate bars. After Skellefteå, we took turns trying to sleep in the car while the other drove, but it was difficult. My brain was racing, both with excitement and with concern for how the geese were doing in the boxes. Sometimes they began to "talk" to each other through the box walls and a shrill wistful cackle would then break out in the passenger’s cabin, only to soon calm down again.

At 04.30 in the morning, we arrived at the last manned gas station before heading into the wilderness. I felt like I could cut my right arm off for a cup of coffee and a sandwich. We decided to sleep for an hour until the gas station opened. In retrospect, this was a wise decision. Feeling like brand new people we resumed the journey for the last remaining hours before arriving at the release area.

Finally, at the site, we were welcomed by the project's fantastic volunteers who had already been on site for a few days and prepared for our arrival. They had scouted the area for returning Lesser White-fronted geese from the overwintering site and had built a temporary release pen. We release the geese by a method called “soft release” which means that the released animals spend time in an enclosure at the site before being set free. This gives them a chance to adapt to the new surroundings and to become a close-knit group, better prepared for the wilderness.

When we couldn´t go any further by car, we walked the last stretch carrying the geese in boxes. Luckily, a family from the Sami village helped us. The trail went up and down, through thickets and over slippery rocks in a flowing stream. Don't slip, don't drop the boxes now. I tried to wordlessly communicate to the geese in the boxes in my arms: soon, soon we will arrive and that's when your journey begins. Kung Karl's Spira (Pedicularissceptrum-carolinum) grows in abundance here, and the thought that this place will be their summer home, the place for them to return to for breeding and raising little goslings of their own, makes me smile.

Finally arriving at the release pen, the geese are carefully unpacked, and a final check is done to make sure everyone is okay. Viktoria carefully records every bird´s individual marking as they are unpacked. The “belt and braces approach” is what we aim for since there is no room for mistakes. As always, everything appears to beaccurate, and we breathe a sigh of relief. When released into the pen, the geese immediately begin fixing their feathers, taking a dip in the cold stream, and trying out what this “new” vegetation tastes like. The volunteers check that the fence is properly closed, and electric power is applied to the wires that run on the outside of the pen and are there to keep away any possible ground-borne predators.

At last, the Lesser White-fronted geese are in place, and everything has gone well. It is a massive relief, and the weight lifted off my shoulders is more than anything you'd find at a gym. Back by the cars, everyone set up their binoculars to study the geese in the release pen. They are curiously exploring everything. Good, now it’s time for coffee.

During the next 24 hours, we took turns keeping an eye on the geese in the release pen through the binoculars and at 10 o'clock the next day we started the hike back. Two of the volunteers opened the release pen towards the water. We all backed away and after a little while the geese ventured out. They swam straight out into the wide stream without looking back. Goodbye then!

We carefully followed the geese through our binoculars and after a while, they chose a nice headland to enter. There, they immediately began to explore the shore; their beaks went like the needle of a sewing machine as they picked on and tested different plants. After the release pen was dismantled and put away, Viktoria and I went up to a height where we had a view of the stream and the headland where the geese were peacefully exploring.

Suddenly, the weather had cleared, the sky was now blue and there was no wind whatsoever. It was magical and not even the persistent buzzing of the mosquitoes could spoil this moment. To follow the geese through the binoculars and study their behaviour in this new wild environment was enchanting. We lost track of time, and it had suddenly become 9 PM. The sun was still high and bright when we reluctantly packed up our things and headed back for supper and sleep.

The next day, the wind was just over 20 meters per second and the rain poured down sideways. We managed to find the geese even though the binoculars threatened to blow away. The geese looked surprisingly unaffected by the weather, which made one think of the Swedish expression: "Like pouring water on a goose".

Now mine and Viktoria's mission here was completed and the long way home to Sörmland was all that remained. It felt hard having to leave this place already. It was a little consolation at least that we could have the vehicle warm and comfortable inside now that we were only transporting ourselves.

To the geese, we said: Take care and we'll see you soon in mid-Sweden!

In summer 2024, Fjällräven visited the home of the project at Öster Malma to learn about the species and witness first-hand the dedication of the team working so hard to save these endangered birds. Take a look behind the scenes in the short video below

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