Population trends and migration strategy of the Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola at Ottenby, SE Sweden

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Soladoye Babatola Iwajomo
  • Martin Stervander
  • Anders Helseth
  • Ulf Ottosson

Long-term ringing data are useful for understanding population trends and migration strategies adopted by migratory bird species during migration. To investigate the patterns in demography, phenology of migration and stopover behaviour in Wood Sandpipers Tringa glareola trapped on autumn migration at Ottenby, southeast Sweden, in 1947-2011, we analysed 65 years of autumn ringing data to describe age-specific trends in annual trappings, morphometrics and phenology, as well as fuel deposition rates and stopover duration from recapture data. We also analysed the migratory direction of the species from recovery data. Over the years, trapping of both adults and juveniles has declined significantly. Median trapping dates were 10 July for adults and 6 August for juveniles. Average migration speed of juvenile birds was 58.1 km d-1. Adults stayed on average 3.5 days and juveniles 5.2 days, with average fuel deposition rates of 2.5 and 0.7 g day-1 respectively. Juvenile birds probably vary their strategy according to time of season and prevailing conditions. Both adults and juveniles followed the Mediterranean Flyway, but juveniles displayed significantly more southerly and significantly more scattered migratory directions.

Original languageEnglish
JournalRinging and Migration
Volume28
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)6-15
Number of pages10
ISSN0307-8698
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

ID: 122601505