The 1997/98 Non-Estuarine Coastal Waterbird Survey in Sweden

Regular counts of ducks, swans, Common Coot Fulica atra and some other waterbird species (see Appendix) have been undertaken in Sweden since the start of the International Waterbird Census (IWC) in 1967, with more or less complete annual coverage for these species along the southernmost coast and sample counts for index calculation in other coastal and inland districts. In addition to the wildfowl counted every year, waders were also included in the counts in 1997/98 and coverage extended in some further regions as a part of the European Non-Estuarine Coastal Waterbird Survey (Europe-NEWS) project. A number of wader species were found in small numbers (see Table 1) and it can be concluded that, with the exception of Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima, the Swedish coast is of negligible importance for waders. The winter population of Purple Sandpiper in Sweden, was estimated to be 1,000–5,000, compared to a previous population estimate of 2,000 (Hake et al. 1997).