When the moulting period is finished, the long migration back south to the wintering areas starts. The adults are in a bad condition after a hard breeding effort and subsequent moulting period. Before the lessers leave Norway, they need to replenish the energy stores.
From mid August the lesser white-fronted geese arrive back at their traditional staging sites, where the rebuilding of the fat stores takes place. The goslings stay together with their parents. The normal brood size at this part of the annual cycle is 2-5 goslings.
The geese are at this time extremely shy. At the least sign of disturbance they will leave the staging site and thereby loose valuable feeding time. It therefore relevant to introduce a traffic prohibition also at the Skjåholmen Island as it is at the Valdak Marshes.
