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41-464: The NWA covers an area of 23.7 ha, including 1.46 ha in the marine environment. It is located five kilometers east of downtown Rimouski , and its territory lies entirely within the city of Rimouski, in the Pointe-au-Père sector. The Sainte-Anne River flows through the reserve from east to west. A large part of the reserve is a spartina marsh with several mudflats . The latter is protected from

82-630: A conservation designation for a geographical region in Canada that restricts most human activities on that region. However, land use permits may be issued "for activities that are compatible with conservation". Such areas are established and managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service , a division of Environment and Climate Change Canada . They may consist of land and water features, as well as coastal areas extending up to 12 nautical miles (22 km) from shore. The largest national wildlife area

123-603: A frost-free period of 262 days. Although in a continental zone, temperatures are nevertheless influenced by the St. Lawrence estuary . In summer, coastal temperatures are four to five degrees Celsius lower than inland. In winter, the difference can sometimes be as much as 10 °C. According to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation , the park is located in the Northern Appalachian and Maritime Plateau Level III ecoregion of

164-411: A mile away. White- and blue-morph birds interbreed and the offspring may be of either morph. These two colors of geese were once thought to be separate species; since they interbreed and are found together throughout their ranges, they are now considered two color phases of the same species. The color phases are genetically controlled. The dark phase results from a single dominant gene and the white phase

205-555: Is a feeding ground for the great blue heron ( Ardea herodias ), black-crowned night heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ) and brent goose ( Branta bernicla ). In summer, it's a nesting ground for some 15 bird species, including American black duck ( Anas rubripes ), mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ), northern pintail ( Anas acuta ) and green-winged teal ( Anas carolinensis ). Also found here are red-winged blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus ), Wilson's snipe ( Gallinago delicata ) and swamp sparrow ( Zonotrichia georgiana ). In autumn, it

246-588: Is a rare vagrant to Europe , but escapes from collections have occurred, and it is an occasional feral breeder. Snow geese are visitors to the British Isles where they are seen regularly among flocks of brant , barnacle goose , and greater white-fronted goose . There is also a feral population in Scotland from which many vagrant birds in Britain seem to derive. Around 2015, a small group of 3-5 snow geese landed on

287-585: Is a shallow depression lined with plant material and may be reused from year to year. After the female lays the first of three to five eggs, she lines the nest with down. The female incubates for 22 to 25 days, and the young leave the nest within a few hours of hatching. The young feed themselves, but are protected by both parents. After 42 to 50 days they can fly, but they remain with their family until they are two to three years old. Where snow geese and Ross's geese breed together, as at La Pérouse, they hybridize at times, and hybrids are fertile. Rare hybrids with

328-544: Is a staging area for red-throated loons ( Gavia stellata ), common loons ( Gavia immer ), Canada geese ( Branta canadensis ), sanderlings ( Calidris alba ), semipalmated sandpipers ( Calidris pusilla ) and white-rumped sandpipers ( Calidris fuscicollis ). Despite its small size, the reserve is home to a dozen mammal species, including the muskrat ( Ondatra zibethicus ), common shrew ( Sorex cinereus ), Meadow jumping mouse ( Zapus hudsonius ) and field vole ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ). The first efforts to protect

369-429: Is drab or slate-gray with little to no white on the head, neck, or belly. Both snow and blue phases have rose-red feet and legs, and pink bills with black tomia ("cutting edges"), giving them a black "grin patch". The colors are not as bright on the feet, legs, and bill of immature birds. The head can be stained rusty-brown from minerals in the soil where they feed. They are very vocal and can often be heard from more than

410-450: Is from the Latin anser , "goose", and caerulescens , "bluish", derived from caeruleus , "dark blue". The snow goose is the sister species to Ross's goose ( Anser rossii ). Two subspecies are recognised: The greater snow goose is distinguished from the nominate form by being slightly larger. It nests farther north and east. The lesser snow goose can be found in two color phases ,

451-460: Is homozygous recessive. When choosing a mate, young birds will most often select a mate that resembles their parents' coloring. If the birds were hatched into a mixed pair, they will mate with either color phase. The species is divided into two subspecies on the basis of size and geography. Size overlap has caused some to question the division. The smaller subspecies, the lesser snow goose ( C. c. caerulescens ), lives from central northern Canada to

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492-400: Is permitted only in areas set aside for this purpose. A rest area and interpretation panels on marine biology were installed in the northern sector of the reserve in 2012 to "raise visitor awareness of the fragility of the environment and reduce disturbance of birds by kayakers and hikers". National Wildlife Area International Associated acts A National Wildlife Area is

533-616: Is the Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area in British Columbia , which covers an area of 11,570.65 km (4,467.45 sq mi). This is a list of National Wildlife Areas in Canada by province . It uses data from Environment and Climate Change Canada. Snow goose The snow goose ( Anser caerulescens ) is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist,

574-688: The Atlantic coastal plain . Traditionally, lesser snow geese wintered in coastal marsh areas where they used their short but strong bills to dig up the roots of marsh grasses for food. However, they have also since shifted inland towards agricultural areas, likely the cause behind the unsustainable population increase in the 20th century. This shift may help to contribute to increased goose survival rates, leading to overgrazing on tundra breeding grounds. In March 2015, 2,000 snow geese were killed in northern Idaho from an avian cholera epidemic while flying their spring migration to northern Canada . The snow goose

615-552: The Bering Straits area. The lesser snow goose stands 64 to 79 cm (25 to 31 in) tall and weighs 2.05 to 2.7 kg (4.5 to 6.0 lb). The larger subspecies, the greater snow goose ( C. c. atlanticus ), nests in northeastern Canada. It averages about 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) and 79 cm (31 in), but can weigh up to 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). The wingspan for both subspecies ranges from 135 to 165 cm (53 to 65 in). Long-term pair bonds are usually formed in

656-557: The Rimouski region. He also lobbied federal, provincial, and municipal governments to protect the site. In 1980, he handed over to Michel Larivée, who continued the work of raising awareness. In 1982, having become Director of the Musée de la Mer de Pointe-au-Père , Mr. Fillion took up the project again and made it one of the Museum's mandates, reserving one of his exhibition rooms for the enhancement of

697-710: The St. Lawrence River by a rocky headland. The reserve's bedrock is part of the Trois-Pistoles formation. Much of the marsh is flooded during spring and autumn-spring tides. This Upper Cambrian and Lower Ordovician formation is composed of sandstone , conglomerate, siltstone and slate . The reserve has a subpolar subhumid continental climate. The average temperature in Rimouski is -11.7 °C in January and 18.2 °C in July. The city receives an average of 642 mm of rain and 271.7 cm of snow per year. The territory has

738-714: The World Wildlife Fund , it is located in the New England/Acadia Forest Ecoregion . The NWA is part of the Rimouski Important Bird Area (IBA), for its concentrated waterfowl population. The IBA covers an area of 47.71 km, corresponding to the south shore of the St. Lawrence River between the Rocher-Blanc sector upstream and Pointe-au-Père downstream. It includes Rimouski Bay, Île Canuel and Île Saint-Barnabé . A key feature of

779-483: The greater white-fronted goose , Canada goose , and cackling goose have been observed. Snow geese breed from late May to mid-August, but they leave their nesting areas and spend more than half the year on their migration to-and-from warmer wintering areas. During spring migration (the reverse migration), large flocks of snow geese fly very high and migrate in large numbers along narrow corridors, more than 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from traditional wintering areas to

820-567: The Hudson Bay coastline. The cause of this overpopulation may be the heavy conversion of land from forest and prairie to agricultural usage in the 20th century. Since the late 1990s, efforts have been underway in the U.S. and Canada to reduce the North American population of lesser snow and Ross's geese to sustainable levels due to the documented destruction of tundra habitat in Hudson Bay and other nesting areas. The Light Goose Conservation Order

861-690: The IBA is the presence of a gradient marsh, unique in eastern Quebec, offering a wide variety of habitats, including rocky shores , mudflats , salt marshes , beaches and eelgrass beds. The salt marshes that make up the reserve are mainly populated by salt hay ( Spartina patens ), sloughgrass ( Spartina pectinata ), red fescue ( Festuca rubra ) and chaffy sedge ( Carex paleacea ). Other plants typical of estuarine environments include sea pea ( Lathyrus japonicus ), Scottish licorice-root ( Ligusticum scoticum ), American searocket ( Cakile edentula ) and sea milkwort ( Lysimachia maritima ). In submerged areas,

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902-593: The Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition , he placed the snow goose with the ducks and geese in the genus Anas . Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Anas caerulescens and cited Edwards' work. The snow goose is now placed in the genus Anser that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The scientific name

943-582: The United States to Mexico . In 1750 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the snow goose in the third volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds . He used the English name "The blue-winged goose". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a preserved specimen that had been brought to London from the Hudson Bay area of Canada by James Isham . When in 1758

984-474: The flora is dominated by eelgrass ( Zostera marina ). The reserve is home to 120 species of birds . In spring, it is a staging area for around 25,000 snow geese ( Chen caerulescens ). Also in spring, the reserve is visited by around 150 Barrow's goldeneyes ( Bucephala islandica ), 1,000 Least sandpipers and 250 Greater yellowlegs ( Tringa melanoleuca ). It is also visited by a significant population of short-billed dowitcher ( Limnodromus griseus ). It

1025-492: The latter often known as blue goose . Its name derives from the typically white plumage . The species was previously placed in the genus Chen , but is now typically included in the "gray goose" genus Anser . Snow geese breed north of the timberline in Greenland , Canada , Alaska , and the northeastern tip of Siberia , and spend winters in warm parts of North America from southwestern British Columbia through parts of

1066-539: The lesser snow goose exceeds 5 million birds, an increase of more than 300% since the mid-1970s. The population is increasing at a rate of more than five percent per year. Non-breeding geese (juveniles or adults that fail to nest successfully) are not included in this estimate, so the total number of geese is likely higher. Lesser snow goose population indices are the highest they have been since population records have been kept, and evidence suggests that large breeding populations are spreading to previously untouched sections of

1107-417: The marsh, which until then had been fairly well preserved, was in danger of being compromised, which would undoubtedly have a negative impact on the presence of the birds that frequent it. The marsh site has long been a meeting place for birdwatchers in the region, who take advantage of the site's ecological richness and the presence of several bird species, with a survey carried out in the late 1970s recording

1148-446: The normal white-colored animals and a dark gray-colored "blue" phase. The greater snow goose is rarely seen in a blue phase. The snow goose has two color plumage morphs , white (snow) or gray/blue (blue), thus the common description as "snows" and "blues". White-morph birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-morph geese have bluish-gray plumage replacing the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. The immature blue phase

1189-491: The north shore of O'ahu . They were seen and photographed several times over the course of 3-4 months. In Central America , vagrants are frequently encountered during winter. Outside of the nesting season, they usually feed in flocks. In winter, snow geese feed on left-over grain in fields. They migrate in large flocks, often visiting traditional stopover habitats in spectacular numbers. Snow geese frequently travel and feed alongside greater white-fronted geese ; in contrast,

1230-481: The northern forests. The Canadian ecological framework includes the inland portion of the Appalachian ecoregion . Its climate is characterized by warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Its vegetation consists of a mixed forest dominated by sugar maple , American beech and yellow birch in the higher regions, and eastern hemlock , white pine , balsam fir and white spruce in the lower sections. Finally, according to

1271-514: The owls, since they are predatory, were capable of keeping competing predators away from the nests. A similar association as with the owls has been noted between geese and rough-legged hawks . Additional predators at the nest have reportedly included wolves , coyotes and all three North American bear species. Few predators regularly prey on snow geese outside of the nesting season, but bald eagles (as well as possibly golden eagles ) will readily attack wintering geese. The breeding population of

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1312-507: The presence of 102 different bird species. On behalf of the Regroupement pour la conservation du marais de Pointe-au-Père (which foreshadowed the creation of the Club des Ornitholoques du Bas-Saint-Laurent ), Mr. Fillion organized information meetings, photo exhibitions, and the publishing of reports in the local media to raise awareness of the marsh and its ecological importance among residents of

1353-474: The recommendation on ways to combat the growing population and the damage that the snow geese were creating in the arctic breeding grounds. The committee recommended relaxing hunting restrictions and giving hunters a better opportunity to harvest more snow geese on their way back to the breeding grounds in the spring. The suggested restrictions were to allow the use of electronic callers, unplugged shotguns, extended shooting hours, and no bag limits. Two years after

1394-517: The salt marsh and offering guided tours during the tourist season. In 1986, the Canadian government officially created the reserve as the "Pointe-au-Père National Wildlife Area". The reserve is administered by the Canadian Wildlife Service , a division of Environment Canada . The most important infrastructure dedicated to tourism in the reserve is a 500 m trail, and the only activities permitted are hiking , nature observation, and photography . Access

1435-402: The salt marsh date back to 1978, when a group of birdwatchers noticed the damage caused to the natural site by landfill and sand removal. These interventions were compounded by the recurring problem of illegal hunting in the marsh. The group entrusted one of their members, Jean-Pierre Fillion, with the task of raising public awareness of the marsh. They all realized that the ecological integrity of

1476-471: The same habitat. Major nest predators include Arctic foxes and skuas . The biggest threat occurs during the first couple of weeks after the eggs are laid and then after hatching. The eggs and young chicks are vulnerable to these predators, but adults are generally safe. They have been seen nesting near snowy owl nests, which is likely a solution to predation. Their nesting success was much lower when snowy owls were absent, leading scientists to believe that

1517-407: The second year, although breeding does not usually start until the third year. Females are strongly philopatric, meaning they will return to the place they hatched to breed. Snow geese often nest in colonies. Nesting usually begins at the end of May or during the first few days of June, depending on snow conditions. The female selects a nest site and builds the nest on an area of high ground. The nest

1558-585: The tundra. The lesser snow goose travels through the Central Flyway , Mississippi Flyway , and Pacific Flyway across prairie and rich farmland to their wintering grounds on grassland and agricultural fields across the United States and Mexico, especially the Gulf coastal plain . The larger and less numerous greater snow goose travels through the Atlantic Flyway and winters on a relatively more restricted range on

1599-559: The two tend to avoid travelling and feeding alongside Canada geese , which are often heavier birds. The population of greater snow geese was in decline at the beginning of the 20th century, but has now recovered to sustainable levels. Snow geese in North America have increased to the point where the tundra breeding areas in the Arctic and the saltmarsh wintering grounds are both becoming severely degraded, and this affects other species using

1640-481: Was also causing critical damage to other varieties of waterfowl species and other wildlife that uses the arctic and sub-arctic grounds for home habitat. The increase in population in substantial amounts raised concern to then DU chief biologist Dr. Bruce Batt who was part of a committee that put together various data and submitted it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service with

1681-441: Was established in 1997 and federally mandated in 1999. Increasing hunter bag limits, extending the length of hunting seasons, and adding new hunting methods have all been successfully implemented, but have not reduced the overall population of snow geese in North America. The late 1990s was when the mid-continent population of snow geese was recognized as causing significant damage to the arctic and sub-arctic breeding grounds which

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