Canadese Ganzen Branta canadensis vestigen zich bij Beilen

Canada Geese settled at the gravel pit De Mussels near Beilen (52°51’N, 6°31’0) in 1989. A single pair raised seven goslings. The local population increased during 1990-94, from 3 pairs in 1990 to respectively 3, 8, 12 and 12 pairs. Successful breeding was noticed on a small island, with 3x 5 young in 1990 and lx 5 young in 1991. Grazing with sheep, resulting in removal of cover on the island, prevented successful reproduction from 1992 onwards. The Beilen population totalled 27 individuals in 1994. Canada Geese from the gravel pit roam the surroundings, up to 5 km from Beilen. This small nucleus in the province of Drenthe may have originated from an earlier colonisation near Haren (36 km away, in the province of Groningen), where breeding has been observed since the early 1980s and where up to 50 birds were counted in the 1990s.