Canada Goose Gosling Mortality and Characteristics of Predation at Monticello Reservoir, South Carolina

Gosling survival of a resident flock of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) was studied on a 2,750-ha reservoir in Fairfield County, South Carolina, in 1987. The brood-rearing season began in early April and ended in early June. A final count of all goslings on the reservoir 4 weeks after the last nest hatched yielded a gosling survival rate of 4.4%. Only 6 (15%) of 40 goslings from 10 broods equipped with radiotransmitters survived to 8 weeks of age. Gosling survival was estimated as 21.2% ± 0.15% (95% CL), using the Kaplan-Meier survival estimator that censors disappearances and 4.0% ± 0.04% (95% CL) assuming disappearances as deaths. Primary predators included red fox (Vulpes vulpes), crow (Corvus spp.) and unknown avian.