There are more pink-footed geese in Iceland than people and the stock is at a record high, according to ornithologist Arnór Þórir Sigfússon. Geese stocks in Iceland keep growing and Arnór said he hasn’t seen such numbers in two decades. The goose hunting season began yesterday.
Photo: Páll Kjartansson/Iceland Review.
“This is the second-highest count of pink-footed geese; 360,000 birds were counted last autumn. The graylag geese are doing all right although their numbers have decreased slightly since last year. They now number about 105,000,” Arnór told ruv.is.
“There is something in the environment which is favorable for geese so the geese stocks keep growing,” he added, explaining that availability of food one of the reasons for this development. The geese also take advantage of human habitation, Arnór stated, flocking to farms during the harvest season.
The main hunting period for geese is in September but the season runs through March 15.
ESA
