BirdNote Daily Wild Goose Dacha
Jan 29, 2026
A surprising Arctic migration story about pink-footed geese summering on Novaya Zemlya. GPS tracking reveals a new route from Finland to the archipelago. Warmer temperatures and food competition are reshaping breeding ranges. There may even be cultural information traveling between different waterfowl species.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Geese Colonize A Former Nuclear Test Site
- A growing flock of Pink-footed Geese now summers on Novaya Zemlya despite its history as a Soviet test site.
- Researchers tracked geese from Finland and found half migrated about 600 miles east of Svalbard to breed.
GPS Trackers Reveal Unexpected Routes
- Researchers attached GPS trackers to 21 pink-footed geese in Finland in 2018 and 2019 to study movements.
- To their surprise, about half of the tracked birds appeared on Novaya Zemlya, far east of their usual Svalbard breeding grounds.
Climate Change Opens New Breeding Grounds
- Climate change and food competition likely made Novaya Zemlya suitable for raising young where it was once too cold.
- Geese may be shifting breeding ranges because environmental change creates new viable habitats.