Numbers of wintering waders in non-estuarine habitats along the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts of Germany in winter 1997/98

Data on the numbers of waders wintering on the German non-estuarine coast are presented separately for the North Sea coast (282 km non-estuarine, 986 km estuarine) and the Baltic Sea coast (2,048 km all non-estuarine). On the North Sea coast, counts in January 1998 yielded 106,176 individuals of 15 wader species, with 385,555 individuals on the remaining estuarine sites. With the exception of Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus and Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata, all species occur in lower numbers in January in comparison to autumn and spring. Counts in the North Sea area were conducted over high tide and for some species (Red Knot Calidris canutus, Dunlin Calidris alpina, Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica and Eurasian Curlew), the numbers recorded in non-estuarine areas at this time are likely to be greater than those using these areas for feeding during the intertidal period. The counts of Sanderling Calidris alba, Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima and Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres are probably more representative. On the Baltic Sea coast, 1,681 individuals of 13 species were counted. This supports previous studies that have shown that the German Baltic Sea coast plays only a minor role for waders in winter.