SWEDISH RARITY REPORT January 12 - February 12, 1998

In general sofar a very mild winter in southern Sweden (+8 today) and very snowy up north (down to -40 in Lapland...).
The most exciting (?!) observation during the period is a mammal - the famous walrus (Odobenus rosmarus, probably a younger male), maybe the same individual as seen in The Netherlands and SW Denmark some days before. Observed at Åsa (Halland) 8.2.
Sources: E-mail from the Swedish hotline Club 300 + local reports.

Most of the rarities listed below are not official Swedish records until accepted by national or local rarities committees.

Abbreviations : m=male, f=female, 2y=second calender year age, s=summer plumage

English name/alt. Eng. name , Scientific name (Swedish name)
Number, sex, place (Province) date
Great Northern Diver/Great Northern Loon, Gavia immer (svartnäbbad islom)
1 wintering as usual at Haväng (SE Scania). 1 subad Lerhamn (Skania) 23-24.1., 1 2y at Kronholmen (Gotland) 8.2.

White-billed Diver/Yellow-billed Loon, G. adamsii (vitnäbbad islom)
1 subad Morups tånge (Halland) 15.1, 1 S. Lynga (Halland) 18.1.

Shag/European Shag, Phalacrocorax aristoteles (toppskarv)
2 ad Malön (Halland) 16.2, 1 ad Hönö (Bohuslän) 17.1.

Great White Egret, Egretta alba (ägretthäger)
1 at Hok, E. Vaggeryd (Småland) 20.1.

Pink-backed Pelican, Pelecanus rufescens (rosaryggad pelikan)
This probable escape (but not ringed), a subad, at Timmernabben (Småland) from November 1997 - still there (seen 2.2).

Lesser White-fronted Goose, Anser erythropus (fjällgås)
1 ad (ringed) at Skatelöv (Småland) until 18.1.

Brent Goose, Branta bernicla hrota (ljusbukig prutgås)
1 Gubbanäsan (Halland) 17.1, 1 Busör (Halland) 17.1.

Red-crested Pochard, Netta rufina (rödhuvad dykand)
1 m wintering as usual in Lake Krankesjön (Scania). During icier conditions moved to Klagshamn instead (26-27.1) and Malmö (7-8.2).

Bucephala clangula x Mergus albellus (knipskrake)
1 Nynäshamn harbour (Södermanland) 7-8.2. Seen also last winter here.

King Eider, Somateria spectabilis (praktejder)
1 ad m at Sandhamn, Halmstad (Halland) 13.1.

Steller's Eider, Polysticta stelleri (alförrädare)
1 ad m Påskallavik (Småland) until 6-21.1, 1 f Utlängan (Blekinge) 23.1.

Black Kite, Milvus migrans (brun glada)
This 2y bird, with a slightly damaged wing, wintering at Ystad garabage dump.
The garbage dump is 1 km SW Bromma church.

Glaucous Gull, L. hyperboreus (vittrut)
1 at Forsbacka garbage dump, Gävle (Gästrikland) 17.1, 1 5y or older Båtafjorden (Halland) 19.1-5.2, 1 1y at Nynäshamn (Södermanland) 8.2 + another 1y there seen now and then.

Great Skua, Catharacta skua (storlabb)
1 Busör (Halland) 15.1, 1 Morups tånge (Halland) 17.1, 2 Skummeslövsstrand (Halland) 17.1, 1 Båstad (Scania) 17.1.

Pomarine Skua/Pomarine Jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus (bredstjärtad labb)
1 Skummeslövs strand (Halland) 17.1, 1 Busör (Halland) 24.1.

Sabine's Gull, Larus sabini (tärnmås)
1 2y Kullen (Scania) 17.1. New January species for Sweden ?

Puffin, Fratercula arctica (lunnefågel)
1 Hönö (Bohuslän), 1 Busör (Halland) 17.1, 1 24.1, 1 Gubbanäsan (Halland) 7.2, 1 1y found dead caused by oil spill at Rödskär (Halland) 8.2.

Little Auk, Alle alle (alkekung)
Increasing numbers each winter it seems as. For example over 100 around the Bjäre peninsula (NW Scania) in January (60 in Båstad 13-17.1, and 15 7.2.). From the Baltic sea 1 observation: 1 at Singö (Uppland) 7.2.

Oriental Turtele Dove, Streptopelia orientalis (större turturduva)
1 2y Alfta (Hälsingland) during the period. First seen already in Nov 1997. It was first shown on a nature program in TV as a Eurasian Collared Dove, S. decatao, but birders watching the program reacted !!).

Snowy Owl, Nyctea scandiaca (fjälluggla)
1 f Broddetorp (Västergötland) the whole of January, still there 8.2.
1 male (!) Alböke (Öland) 18-19.1.

Water Pipit, Anthus spinoletta (vattenpiplärka)
1 wintering at Bingsmarken (Scania) as usual, 1 Stavsten (Scania) 13.1.
1 Habybukten (Bohuslän) 18.1 New species for Bohuslän ?

Horned Lark, Eremphila alpestris (berglärka)
1 wintering at Umeå harbour (Västerbotten). Far north !

Stonechat, Saxicola torquata torquata (västlig svarthakad buskskvätta)
1 m wintering at Sibyllas, Ottenby (Öland).

Desert Wheatear, Oenanthe deserti (ökenstenskvätta)
1 2y m the whole period at Lerhamn (Scania) and 1 2y m at Skrea strand, Falkenberg (Halland) the whole period.

Lesser Whitethroat, Sylvia curruca (ärtsångare, östlig ras)
1 Lerhamn 11-18.1. This bird has been caught and measured, which race it belongs to is under investigation. The wing length 65.0 could suggest blythi, but also some other races are possible.

Common Whitethroat, Sylvia communis (törnsångare)
1 at Kristianstad sewage plant (Scania) 31.1-7.2. Probably the first winter record in Sweden.

Two-barred Crossbill. Loxia leucoptera (bändelkorsnäbb)
1 m Varberg (Halland) 29.1.

Serin, Serinus serinus (gulhämpling)
2 males at Skanör garbage dump (Scania) 22-30.1.
Erling Jirle
Swedish coordinator EuroBirdNet / Fuglenett


The old established names in English comes first, folIowed with new alternative name after the Swedish Holarctic list.
The Scientific and Swedish name also follows the Holarctic Bird list adopted by SOF, see URL;
http://www.pheromone.ekol.lu.se/hollisteng.html

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