A mountain goose pair with six goslings is currently breeding in the Vindelfjällen nature reserve in Västerbotten, according to the Nordens Ark foundation, which is part of the species conservation project Project Mountain Goose.
The goose parents, both of which are ring-marked, were released through the project in 2013 and 2018, respectively. Nordens Ark describes the discovery of the goose pair breeding outside the known breeding area in the Norrbotten mountains as an important breakthrough.
"The fact that the mountain geese are now breeding outside the core area is a huge step forward. It shows that our conservation work is yielding results and that the population is spreading. It is also particularly pleasing that the pair seen in Västerbotten are birds that have been bred and released by the project," says John Söderlindh, responsible animal caretaker at Nordens Ark in the press release.
Approximately 150 mountain geese exist in Sweden, according to estimates. In recent days, 34 bred mountain geese have been released in the Arjeplog and Gällivare mountains.
"It is a matter of working long-term. Saving endangered species takes time, but all the hard work is worth it when we now see that the number of mountain geese is increasing and that they are starting to spread to new areas," says Söderlindh.
The mountain goose is a small goose that is approximately the same size as a teal.
It is rare in Sweden, where it is found in the mountains during the summer half of the year. In August, it flies towards the Caspian Sea and returns to Sweden at the beginning of May.
The Swedish stock is endangered. In the 1980s, a rescue project was initiated to conserve the species.
Source: NE
