As reported by Morgunblaðið, herds of barnacles (Branta bernicla) have recently been spotted in the western part of Iceland. These geese come from breeding areas in the arctic regions of Northeast Canada and make a stop here on their way to Ireland where they will spend the winter.
In spring and autumn, they stop in Iceland to rest and eat. The first ones arrive at the end of March, and their number gradually increases until mid-May. According to Guðmundur A. Guðmundsson, an animal ecologist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, the cubs are extremely synchronized when it comes to continuing their trip to Canada. They leave on May 27, plus or minus one day. It is so precise that you can almost set the watches to their departure time. Then the first ones return around August 20, and the last ones depart around October 20.
“The young accompany their parents for almost a year. It is only when the next breeding season is approaching that they are driven out of the family during their spring stay in Iceland “ Guðmundur explains.
The route from Ireland to the Arctic region of Canada is over 4,000 km long, most of which are 3,000 km from Iceland to Canada. It runs over the Greenland ice sheet.
The subspecies that stop in Iceland has a population of almost 40,000.
Source: Yle