Abstract
The coastal areas of the island of Gotland in the center of the Baltic Sea is an important wintering site for waterbirds in Sweden. Gotland offers extensive areas of shallow feeding grounds and, due to its location, some open waters remain available even during harsh winters. Wintering waterbirds have been counted annually on the island since the start of the International Waterbird Census in 1967, with full coverage of all the inshore areas around the main island obtained during the years 1969–1978 and 2013–2020. Between these two periods, the mean total number of wintering waterbirds increased from 32,000 to 111,500. The most numerous species were Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, and Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula. Some species such as Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope, Eurasian Teal Anas crecca, and Gadwall Mareca strepera started to winter during the second period. Marked increases were also found for Smew Mergellus albellus and Greater Scaup Aythya marila, likely related to progressively milder winters in recent years.
Highlights
The island of Gotland in the center of the Baltic Sea Baltic (SOWBAS) in 2007–2009 (Skov et al 2011)
The Baltic Sea buffers heat, tering waterbirds along the shores of Gotland focusing thereby providing ice-free coastal areas even in cold on the two periods with complete counts (i.e. 1969–1978 winters, when otherwise large parts of the inshore parts and 2013–2020) to elucidate changes in the numbers of the Baltic Sea are covered by ice
The number of wintering waterbirds around the coasts of Gotland show a marked increase over the study period from 1969 to 2019 (Table 1; Figures 3–4)
Summary
The island of Gotland in the center of the Baltic Sea Baltic (SOWBAS) in 2007–2009 (Skov et al 2011). To the west of mainland Gotwith planned countrywide surveys in 1987–1989 and land lies Stora Karlsö and Lilla Karlsö, two cliff islands from the first all-Baltic survey in 1992/1993 (Durinck renowned for their large colonies of Common Murres et al 1994) as well as in the second total survey of the Uria aalge and Razorbills Alca torda. Apart from these larger islands, the remaining islands are very small, found mainly along the southwestern and eastern coasts of Gotland
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