The use of camera traps to identify individual colour-marked geese at a moulting site

ABSTRACT Movement-activated camera traps were used at an important moulting site of Canada Goose Branta canadensis and British Greylag Goose Anser anser to test whether a greater number of colour-marked individuals would be identified using camera traps than when only traditional methods were used. Four camera traps were in operation during a 100-day period; in total, 1176 colour-mark sightings were generated representing 159 individually colour-marked geese. The field team made 216 resightings of colour-marked birds during the duration of study, including just five individuals that were not identified using camera traps. During the trial, the camera traps generated more resightings and identified more individual geese than had been found in any previous year of the study. The results highlight the potential for using camera traps as a means to increase resighting rates of colour-marked birds.