During the time when the birds leave their wintering areas in the south and flies northward to nest, then Oland is visited regularly by a variety of rare birds that have their actual habitat further south or east in Europe.
The phenomenon is called extended migration and benefit from weather situations where warm southeast winds are crossing the Baltic Sea. Also birds that already in the autumn flew astray, can now in the spring appear again on the island.
Few stray flown birds has yet arrived in March, but halfway into April its starts to happen.
Among migrating ducks may rarities from the other side of the Atlantic, like Black Scoter and Surf Scoter comply, and among migrating Dabbling Ducks is Green-winged Teal sometimes found.
Marsh Sandpiper, © Lars Lundmark
Nightingale, © Lars Lundmark
From the south can tired rarities, like the Alpine Accentor show up after hot air penetration.
Still, it’s May which is rarity month above all others. Since long ago it was thought that the end of May would be the very best, but an analysis of the entire material does not support this.
Basically it is seen as many rarities early as in the end of the month, instead it is the selection of species that differ, with a predominance of southern species at the beginning and the southeastern at the end of the month.
To list all of the rarities that are possible to see during this month would take several pages, so to highlight some regularly occurring rarities to keep your eyes open for during the month of May, would be: Little Crake, Marsh Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Gull-billed Tern, White-winged Tern, Greater Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Common Nightingale, Savi’s Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Rosy Starling and Black-headed Bunting.
White-winged Tern, © Lars Lundmark
Collared Pratincole, Caspian Plover, Solitary Sandpiper, Wilson’s Phalarope, Franklin’s Gull, Ivory Gull, European Scops Owl, Eurasian Eagle-owl, Alpine Swift, Eyebrowed Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Green Warbler, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting and Cretzschmar’s Bunting.
Cirl Bunting, © Lars Lundmark
Caspian Plover, © Markus Tallroth
Alpine Swift, © Lars Lundmark
Ivory Gull, © Lars Lundmark
Source: Ölands Fåglar © Ölands Ornitologiska Förening ÖOF (authors this chapter: 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
