Dec 8-31, 1997

SWEDISH RARITY REPORT December 8-31, 1997

A very mild December in most of Sweden.

Sources: E-mail from the Swedish hotline Club 300 + local reports, mainly from Gotland and Västerbotten.
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 S. Kettlevik, Sundre (Gotland) 21-22.12, 1 wintering at Haväng (Scania) as usual (seen 27.12).

White-billed Diver/Yellow-billed Loon, G. adamsii (vitnäbbad islom)
1 1y W. Kronholmen (Gotland) 28.12.

Shag/European Shag, Phalacrocorax aristoteles (toppskarv)
1 ad at Råssö (Bohuslän) 30.12.

Sooty Shearwater, Puffinus griseus (grålira)
1 at Kullen (Scania) 26.12.

Storm Petrel/European Storm Petrel, Hydrobates pelagicus (stormsvala)
1 specimen landed on a trawler west Getterön (Halland) at 11 p.m. 8.12. It was taken care of on the boat and released in the harbour Träslövsläge in the morning 9.12.

Pink-backed Pelican, Pelecanus rufescens (rosaryggad pelikan)
This probable escape (but not ringed) subad bird stayed at Timmernabben (Småland) during most of the period, last seen 25.12.

Great Egret, Egretta alba (ägretthäger)
1 at Marsängsviken (Södermanland) 14-15.12.

Red-breasted Goose, B. ruficollis (rödhalsad gås)
2 at Bottorp (Småland) until 14.12, 1 ad at Trolle-Ljungby (Scania) 27-30.12, 1 ad at Gräsgård and Ottenby (Öland) 28-30.12.

Steller's Eider, Polysticta stelleri (alförrädare)
1 ad m at Gräsgårds hamn (Öland) 21.12.

Gyr Falcon, Falco rusticolus (jaktfalk)
1 1y at Getterön (Halland) 21.12, 1 at Ilstorp (Scania) 30.12.

Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides (vitvingad trut)
1 at Ärnemar harbour, Oskarshamn (Småland) for a long period, until 13.12. 1 1y at Lysekil (Bohuslän) 13-14.12,

Glaucous Gull, L. hyperboreus (vittrut)
1 at Kovikstippen (garbage dump), Värmdö (Uppland) 6-30.12, 1 1y at Oskarshamn (Småland) 13-26.12, 1 1y at Skillinge (Scania), 1 1y W. Sundsvall (Medelpad) 21.12, 1 at Vassbotten, Vänersborg (Västergötland) 30.12.

Puffin, Fratercula arctica (lunnefågel)
1 at Mölle (Scania) 22.12.

Little Auk, Alle alle (alkekung)
13 at Båstad (Scania) 17.12 and 20 23.12, 1 at Brantevik (Scania) 20.12, 1 at Spillepengen, Malmö (Scania) 27.12, 2 at Björkäng (Halland) 27.12.

Barn Owl, Tyto alba (tornuggla)
1 was found at the Pripps brewery in Gothenburg (Västergötland) 11.12. Maybe it was ship assisted. The bird was transported to central Scania and released there, at the site were 1 pair of Barn Owl bred 1996, but only 1 bird was seen 1997.

Water Pipit, Anthus spinoletta (vattenpiplärka)
1 at Kråkenabben (Blekinge) 20-28.12, 1 S. Torekov (Scania) 27-28.12.

Stonechat/Common Stonechat, Saxicola torquata torquata (svarthakad buskskvätta)
1 m at Sibylla, Ottenby (Öland) 21-31.12.

Two-barred Crossbill, Loxia leucoptera (bändelkorsnäbb)
1 f at Getterön (Halland) 20.12.

Little Bunting, Emberiza pusilla (dvärgsparv)
1 1y at Örebro (Närke) - 30.12.

Erling Jirle
Swedish coordinator EuroBirdNet / Fuglenett

This report can also be found on the EBN-Sweden homepages (where you also get the national characters right...) see URL:
http://www.pheromone.ekol.lu.se/Reports/SwReports97.html

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

PS.
Today, January 1, 1998, was a mild and VERY foggy day in southern Scania. I only scored 48 species, normally you get +60 on your list, but 2 Red-breasted Goose was nice. DS.