A Study of Migrating Ross Geese in Western Saskatchewan

The Ross Goose (Chen r&i) was, until recently, considered a very rare and endangered species throughout much of western North America.Its limited breeding ground in the Perry River district, Northwest Territories, Canada, its narrow but traditional migration lane from Lake Athabasca, through Alberta and along the Rockies to Montana, and its restricted wintering area in the Central Valley of California made it a unique species of particular concern to conservationists.Although a protected bird from 1931 to 1963, small numbers of Ross Geese were taken inadvertently by hunters, both on the Canadian prairies and on the Californian wintering grounds.The total population prior to 1955 was estimated at only 6,000 (Morse, 1963).Within the last decade the indicated status of this species has been much improved (Jahn et al., 1963).Some apparent shifts in migration lanes have occurred, and a general increase in numbers has been noted east of the traditional migration route in Canada.The purpose of this paper is to document the transposition of one of the major migration pathways into western Saskatchewan, evaluate the birds' present status, and describe the recent reproductive success of the population. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSMany individuals of various state, federal, and provincial agencies contributed generously to the compilation of distribution records.I am particularly indebted to John Lynch, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, who helped initiate the study,