Wader population estimates in France resulting from the 1997/98 Non-Estuarine Coastal Waterbird Survey

France-NEWS was run in parallel to the mid-January International Waterbird Census (IWC) in January 1998. It covered about 50% of France’s open (non-estuarine) coasts and recorded 106,512 waders on this habitat, which is some 17% of the 632,246 waders counted along the whole French coast. A total of 152,925 waders was estimated to be present on non-estuarine sites in France. Open coasts in France hold more than 5% of the European wintering populations estimates of Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula (6,200: 10%), Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola (8,200: 6.8%), Sanderling Calidris alba (9,800: 20.8%) and Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres (5,700: 7.1%). The two most common species on non-estuarine sites are Dunlin Calidris alpina (53,500: 4.1%) and Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus (38,000: 1.4%). In combination with data gathered as part of the IWC, France-NEWS made it possible to revise the French population estimates of all waders, with the exception of Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria , Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus , Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago and Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola that winter in large numbers in areas not covered by these counts.