Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Atlantic Population Canada Geese

Declining numbers of Atlantic Population (AP) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) resulted in the closure of the regular Canada goose hunting season in 1995 in the provinces of Quebec and southeastern Ontario, Canada, and all Atlantic Flyway states except West Virginia and northwestern Pennsylvania. We attached satellite-tracked radiotransmitters to 34 adult females in 1996 and 1997 to refine our understanding of movements to and from the breeding ground in northern Quebec. Geese breeding near the coasts of Hudson Bay and northern Ungava Bay migrated through western Quebec, southeastern Ontario, and central New York to wintering areas in the Chesapeake-Delaware Bay region of the Atlantic Coast. Geese nesting in the southern Ungava Bay region migrated through central Quebec to the Lake Champlain-Hudson River drainage area of eastern New York and the western section of the New England states. Their winter terminus was primarily north of 40° latitude. Both fall and spring migratious were highly synchronized. Geese left the breeding range in late September and were not available for sport harvest in Canada and the United States until October. All birds were on their winter range by midto late October. Spring migration began in late February from the Chesapeake-Delaware Bay region, with birds staying in central New York and southeastern Ontario during March and April. A major movement north occurred in early May 1997 and 1998, with birds arriving on their breeding grounds within 1-2 weeks. Limited opportunity for subsistence harvest was detected during spring and fall migration periods. Our data support the use of experimental hunting seasons in September and late winter to reduce numbers of resident Canada geese while minimizing the incidental harvest of AP geese.