Already on New Year’s day, some early morning birders gathers on Öland, many of them keeping annual lists of all the bird species they have seen and are thus out hunting the years first observations too the book. For this reason, it is reported surprisingly much in January, despite the fact that the month is usually relatively poor on bird species.
The numbers of species varies greatly over the years, and the composition of species present and the numbers of individuals are highly affected by how the previous year’s breeding season has been and how early the winter and snow arrives. Some years there are plenty of thrushes, Bohemian Waxwings, Eurasian Siskin’s and Common Redpoll, while other years they are totally absent. During winters with little snow, are the birds scattered over the island and therefore difficult to detect. A snowy year, they gather in places where they can find food, like on the coast or on the windswept places where bare ground appear.
Bearded Tit, © Lars Lundmark
Horned Lark, © Lars Lundmark
At dunghills gathers Sparrows and Finches and around running waters you find Eurasian Woodcocks and Common Snipes. Windswept and sparsely vegetated sandbanks attract passerines as snow bunting and Horned Lark, and last year stamens of goosefoot and burdocks provide Siskins, European Goldfinches and Twite nutritious seeds. Fermenting seaweed banks are attractive because they are often free of snow and offer food to the Pipits and Waders. On water flooded rocks at the beaches can sometimes Purple Sandpipers be found.
At open shallow waters along the coast it may pay to look through over-wintering and flocks of Ducks. These are usually dominated by species like Mallards, Common Mergansers, Tufted Duck and Common Goldeneye, but often it is possible to find both Smew as Common Pochard and Greater Scaup. Further out is often Long-tailed Ducks and an occasional Loon. Just to cross the Öland Bridge can be an experience this time of year. Around the holes in the ice gathers White-tailed Eagles that have a set table among Ducks and Swans.
Some years the snow and cold can drive down usually more northern species to Öland. Bohemian Waxwings appear in varying numbers, significantly more rarely Pine Grosbeak. Sometimes encountered in winter are our smallest falcon, the Merlin, and even more rarely the biggest of them all, the Gyrfalcon. Birds of prey like Rough-legged Buzzard, Golden Eagles and Hen Harriers are now seen regularly.
January is also the bird feeding tables month number one. It is now that even novice birders can make findings of rarer species or unusual find of generally not over-wintering birds.
Rough-legged Buzzard, © Lars Lundmark
Steller’s Eider, Loon, Water Rail, Jack Snipe, Black-legged Kittiwake, Glaucous Gull, Snowy Owl, Woodlark, Great Grey Shrike, Eurasian Rock Pipit, Bearded Reedling, Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Wren, Arctic Redpoll and Lapland Longspur.
Wren, © Lars Lundmark
Gyrfalcon, © Ottenby Fågelstation
Lapland Bunting, © Lars Lundmark
Water Rail, © Lars Lundmark
Source: Ölands Fåglar © Ölands Ornitologiska Förening ÖOF (authors this chapter: Pav Johnsson, Anders Waldenström)
Translation: Visitoland.com
Pictures: see each picture
The book: Ölands Fåglar, 496 pages (only in Swedish), can be ordered at Naturbokhandeln
ISBN: 9789188124555
