Changes in numbers and distribution of wintering waterbirds at the south coast of Scania, Sweden, during 55 winters, 1964–2018

The south coast of Scania, southernmost Sweden, has long been an important wintering and staging area for waterbirds. A large part of the coast was surveyed annually as a part of the international midwinter counts for 55 years (1964–2018). The total number of wintering waterbirds showed an increasing trend but there was much variation between years. Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, followed by Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula and—during the early years—Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis, dominated the community. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, Mallard, Common Goldeneye and Eurasian Coot Fulica atra increased in numbers, reflecting the national and international trends related to milder winters and a northward shift of the winter distribution. Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope and Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus established wintering traditions in the area during the study period. Tufted Duck and Common Merganser Mergus merganser decreased locally due to a northward shift of the wintering distribution northwards within the country. The Long-tailed Duck was an important winter guest in the first years but was only seen in very small numbers in later years, reflecting the general and large-scale decrease of the Baltic wintering population.

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Modeling the impacts of large-scale albedo changes on ozone air quality in the South Coast Air Basin

Atmospheric Environment ◽

10.1016/s1352-2310(96)00336-6 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 31 (11) ◽

pp. 1667-1676 ◽

Cited By ~ 91

Author(s):

Haider Taha

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Large Scale ◽

South Coast ◽

The South ◽

South Coast Air Basin

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United Kingdom Ministry Of Technology Work On Oil Pollution

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1969-1-27 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 1969 (1) ◽

pp. 27-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

J. Wardley Smith

Keyword(s):

United Kingdom ◽

Large Scale ◽

Oil Pollution ◽

South Coast ◽

The South

Abstract The work of the various research laboratories of the Ministry of Technology in the field of oil pollution is described. It includes the removal of oil from beaches and from the sea, the burning of oil in tanks and the use of booms in sheltered waters. In 1960, there were a number of fairly large-scale oil pollution incidents off the south coast of England. As a result, an approach was made to the Minister for Science to carry out work to find out the best method of removing oil pollution from beaches. This work, which was soon extended to the problem of dealing with oil while still on the sea, was carried out by the Warren Spring Laboratory, now part of the Ministry of Technology. Other Ministry laboratories were later drawn in for other aspects of the problem. The work is still going on. This paper will describe firstly the treatment of oil on the beaches; secondly, methods of dealing with oil on the sea; thirdly, the burning of oil in tanks; fourthly, the use of booms to protect particular sites; and, lastly, other means of preventing oil from reaching the surface of the sea.

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Rezultati januarskega štetja vodnih ptic leta 2014 v Sloveniji / Results of the January 2014 waterbird census in Slovenia

Acrocephalus ◽

10.1515/acro-2014-0004 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (160-161) ◽

pp. 73-83

Author(s):

Luka Božič

Keyword(s):

Muscovy Duck ◽

Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽

Tufted Duck ◽

Bubulcus Ibis ◽

Cygnus Olor ◽

Fulica Atra ◽

Coastal Sea ◽

Ciconia Nigra ◽

Black Stork ◽

Standing Waters

Summary In 2014, the International Waterbird Census (IWC) was carried out in Slovenia on 18 and 19 Jan. Waterbirds were counted on all larger rivers, along the entire Slovenian Coastland and on most of the major standing waters in the country. During the census, in which 268 observers took part, 413 sections of the rivers and coastal sea with a total length of 1395.1 km and 226 other localities (178 standing waters and 48 streams) were surveyed. Altogether, 45,346 waterbirds of 62 species were counted. This is the lowest number of waterbirds recorded after the 1997 and 1998 censuses. The greatest numbers of waterbirds were counted in the Drava count area, i.e. 20,217 individuals (44.6% of all waterbirds in Slovenia). By far the most numerous species was Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (43.0% of all waterbirds), followed by Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus (10.1% of all waterbirds), Coot Fulica atra (7.9% of all waterbirds), Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis (6.0% of all waterbirds) and Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (4.6% of all waterbirds). The number of 1,000 counted individuals was also surpassed by Mute Swan Cygnus olor, Pochard Aythya ferina, Tufted Duck Ay. fuligula and Teal An. crecca. Among the rarer recorded species, the Black Stork Ciconia nigra (registered for the first time during the January Waterbird Censuses; only the second winter record in Slovenia), Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis and Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus (both registered only for the second time during the IWC) should be given a special mention. Numbers of the following species were the highest so far recorded during the IWC: Shelduck Tadorna tadorna, Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata, Shoveler An. clypeata, Redthroated Loon Gavia stellata and Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus. Also, the total number of C and E category species/taxa was the highest to date, although still quite low with 70 individuals. Numbers of the following species were the lowest so far recorded during the IWC: Cormorant, Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis and Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus

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Rezultati januarskega štetja vodnih ptic leta 2015 v Sloveniji/ Results of the January 2015 waterbird census in Slovenia

Acrocephalus ◽

10.1515/acro-2015-0004 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (164-165) ◽

pp. 57-67

Author(s):

Luka Božič

Keyword(s):

Muscovy Duck ◽

Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽

Anser Anser ◽

Tufted Duck ◽

Bubulcus Ibis ◽

Cygnus Olor ◽

Fulica Atra ◽

Coastal Sea ◽

The Individual ◽

Standing Waters

In 2015, the International Waterbird Census (IWC) was carried out in Slovenia on 17 and 18 Jan. Waterbirds were counted on all larger rivers, along the entire Slovenian Coastland and on most of the major standing waters in the country. During the census, in which 276 observers took part, 409 sections of the rivers and coastal sea with a total length of 1385.8 km and 224 other localities (172 standing waters and 52 streams) were surveyed. Altogether, 46,425 waterbirds of 57 species were counted. This is one of the lowest numbers of waterbirds recorded during the 19 years of IWC in Slovenia. The highest numbers of waterbirds were counted in the Drava count area, i.e. 17,014 individuals (36.7% of all waterbirds in Slovenia). By far the most numerous species was Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (45.9% of all waterbirds), followed by Coot Fulica atra (8.4% of all waterbirds), Blackheaded Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus (7.5% of all waterbirds), Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (5.7% of all waterbirds) and Mute Swan Cygnus olor (4.6% of all waterbirds). The number of 1000 counted individuals was also surpassed by Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis and Teal An. crecca. Among the rarer recorded species, the Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (registered only for the third time during the IWC) and Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus (registered only for the fourth time during the IWC) deserve special mention. Also, Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea was recorded for the fourth time during the IWC, but the individual observed was classified to category E (introduced species without self-sustaining populations, escapees from captivity). Numbers of the following species were the highest so far recorded during the IWC: Greylag Goose Anser anser, Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata, Shoveler An. clypeata, Goosander Mergus merganser and Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos. The number of Redbreasted Mergansers M. serrator was the lowest so far recorded during the IWC.

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Birds in estuaries can act as indicators of climate change: a study at a key wintering site for waterbirds in Europe

10.7287/peerj.preprints.2652v1 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Dominik Marchowski ◽

Łukasz Jankowiak ◽

Dariusz Wysocki ◽

Łukasz Ławicki ◽

Józef Girjatowicz

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

River Estuary ◽

Tufted Duck ◽

Wintering Waterfowl ◽

Fulica Atra ◽

Odra River ◽

Common Goldeneye ◽

Weather Changes ◽

The Baltic ◽

Common Pochard

Climate change can shift the winter range of many species and birds can act as indicators of this process. Estuaries of large rivers are places where different waterbirds winter with each species reflecting their own behavior and sensitivity to weather changes. Knowing these behaviors and tracking long-term changes in the number of birds, we can confirm the direction of climate change. One estuary of key importance for wintering waterfowl is the Odra River Estuary situated in the south-western part of the Baltic Sea. The most numerous birds here belong to two groups: benthic feeders and fish feeders. We show that numbers of all benthivorous waterbirds were negatively correlated with the presence of ice, but for piscivorous there was no relationship. We anticipate that with continued global warming the importance of this area for benthic feeders will increase, but will decrease for fish feeders. Among the seven species of benthivorous birds we studied, one showed an increase in numbers (Greater Scaup Aythya marila), two were stable (Tufted Duck A. fuligula and Eurasian Coot Fulica atra) and two decreased (Common Pochard A. ferina and Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula); among the piscivorous group two species (Smew Mergellus albellus and Goosander Mergus merganser) showed a decline. The decline of the Common Pochard may reflect that species global decline. Climate change may be responsible for some of the local changes in the study area, namely the increase in the number of Greater Scaup and reduction in the numbers of Common Goldeneye, Smew and Goosander.

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Results of the January 2017 waterbird census in Slovenia

Acrocephalus ◽

10.1515/acro-2017-0012 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (174-175) ◽

pp. 203-215

Author(s):

Luka Božič

Keyword(s):

Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽

Barnacle Goose ◽

Tufted Duck ◽

Cygnus Olor ◽

Fulica Atra ◽

Ardea Cinerea ◽

Coastal Sea ◽

Larus Michahellis ◽

Standing Waters ◽

Clangula Hyemalis

Summary In 2017, the International Waterbird Census (IWC) was carried out in Slovenia on January 14 and 15. Waterbirds were counted on all larger rivers, along the entire Slovenian Coastland and on most of the major standing waters in the country. During the census, in which 235 observers took part, 413 sections of the rivers and coastal sea with a total length of 1,427 km and 200 other localities (164 standing waters and 36 streams) were surveyed. The census was characterized by harsh winter conditions and high proportion of frozen water bodies. Altogether, 51,790 waterbirds of 61 species were counted. Thus, the number of waterbirds and the number of species recorded were close to the 21-year average. The highest numbers of waterbirds were counted in the Drava count area, i.e. 20,064 individuals (38.7% of all waterbirds in Slovenia). By far the most numerous species was Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (46.1% of all waterbirds), followed by Coot Fulica atra (6.8% of all waterbirds), Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (5.9% of all waterbirds), Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus (5.7% of all waterbirds) and Mute Swan Cygnus olor (3.9% of all waterbirds). The number of 1,000 counted individuals was also surpassed by Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis, Teal An. crecca, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons, Pygmy Cormorant P. pygmeus and Grey Heron Ardea cinerea. Among the rarer recorded species, the Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis (registered for the first time during the January Waterbird Censuses and only for the third time ever in Slovenia) and Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis (the first probable A category individual for IWC and Slovenia) deserve special mention. Numbers of the following species were the highest so far recorded during the IWC: Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata (together with 2006 and 2012), Pintail An. acuta, Ferruginous Duck Ay. nyroca, Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis (together with 2003), Goosander Mergus merganser, Pygmy Cormorant, Herring Gull L. argentatus and Caspian Gull L. cachinnans. Number of Pochards Ay. ferina was the lowest so far recorded during the IWC.

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