Wading birds’ beaks – ingenious implements The Halland coast – between the Arctic and Africa Some of Northern Europe’s most important resting sites for BIRDSITES ON THE migratory birds are to be found along the Halland coast. Wetlands, coastal salt marsh meadows and shallow lagoons offer food and rest for tired birds. This is where they can HALLAND COAST store up new reserves of fat so that they have the strength for The turnstone uses its short, the long journey to their summer and winter quarters. powerful beak to look for During spring and autumn large flocks of wading birds food among seaweed and roost on the shallow mud beaches and large numbers of ducks under pebbles. It is this be- gather along the coast. The magnificent eider flight during haviour that gives the bird April is a sight that is really worth seeing. This is only some its name. of what the Halland coast can offer bird watchers and nature- lovers. Read on in this pamphlet for tips on superb bird sites The snipe searches for food by drilling into the mud with and pleasant outings all year round excursions. its long beak. It feels for worms and other prey with special sensory receptors on the soft tip of its beak. The long legs of the avocet take it a good distance out from the beach where it looks for crustaceans and other small organisms by moving its upturned beak for- Halland ward and back in a fast whisking motion. Important migration routes for arctic wading birds along the west coast of Europe. The curlew’s powerful curved beak is an excellent tool for picking lugworms More information out of their U- Getterön’s Naturcentrum County Administrative Board shaped holes. Lassavägen 1 Halland SE-432 93 Varberg SE-301 86 Halmstad +46-(0)340-875 10 +46-(0)35-13 20 00 www.getteron.com www.n.lst.se © Text and lay-out: Jonas Stenström. Naturcentrum AB, Sten- The oystercatcher’s red beak is ungsund. +46-(0)303-69455. Water-colours: Nils Forshed. a powerful tool that is used to Translation: Translator tjänst, Kungsbacka. prize open live mussels and Production commissioned by the County Administrative Board in Halland with financing from the Swedish Environment Protection oysters. It is this ability that Board and the EU Interreg IIC North Sea Programme. gives the species its name. County Administrative Board Nature conservation in County Administrative Board’s project manager: Halland Halland county Sweden Per Magnus Åhrén. sandwich tern arctic tern common tern little tern eider redshank red-throated diver king eider turnstone oystercatcher shelduck lapwing dunlin little stint golden plover yellow grey plover wagtail thrift sea campion common glasswort pedunculate The Halland coast is sea-purslane annual attractive for both birds and sea-blite human beings. Where the sea common scurvygrass meets the land there are beautiful coastal sea aster environments with grazed salt marsh meadows and shallow beaches. Salt marsh meadows Sandbanks Long stretches of the coast are bordered by extensive, grazed salt Seaweed banks and mud flats Shelducks and oystercatchers look for food on the sandbanks off marsh meadows. Cattle grazing is an important pre-requisite for A large number of breeding and roosting birds are able to find food the beach. There is an abundance of small crabs, mussels and the animal and plant life of the salt marsh meadows. The grazing along the shallow beaches. Worms, mussels and other small creatures worms in the shallow, warm water. Sandwich terns, little terns, animals keep the vegetation down, and an abundance of nutritious live in the soft mud. Crustaceans and large numbers of insects live in common terns and arctic terns are happy to rest out on the insects live in the animal’s droppings. Among other species of the seaweed banks. sandbanks after fishing trips further out to sea. bird, the salt marsh meadows are home to yellow wagtail, redshank Large numbers of migrating wading birds stop at this ready-laid and lapwing. The southern dunlin also breeds on the very finest of table in order to stock up on energy reserves. During April–May, flocks the salt marsh meadows. of arctic waders are seen on route to their breeding grounds in the The Sea Coastal meadows are periodically flooded by the sea’s salt water north. Many birds turn back as early as July, and the southerly flight Flights of birds continue over the sea all year round. Eider and and this puts particular demands on the plants. Many of the of waders continues up to the beginning of October. Dunlins are the other ducks fly together in larger flocks while diving birds and plants have fleshy, succulent leaves that have evolved in order to most common of the wading birds, sometimes with hundreds of birds sea birds fly singly or in small groups. In the spring the eiders’ survive in this environment. Some of the beach’s most salt-tolerant in a flock. Other species that are often seen are Temminck´s stint, little flight south (!) is fantastic, with several thousand eider on a good plants are annual sea-blite, pedunculate sea-purslane and common stint, sanderling, turnstone, knot, curlew sandpiper, golden plover, grey day. King eider are a rare guest that are sometimes observed in glasswort. plover and others. the flocks. Göteborg Fr 1 2 Ringhals illesås Tjolöholm Båtafjorden nuclear At Tjolöholms castle large numbers of breeding wetland birds are to be The extensive salt marsh meadows within Båtafjorden are, along power station P found on the periodically flooded salt marsh meadows. During spring with Getterön, the west coast’s most important breeding site P and autumn Kungsbacka fjord is an important roosting site for E6 for wetland birds. Avocet, ruff, southern dunlin, black-tailed Biskopshagen wading birds and ducks. In the winter substantial nature reserve Var godwit and garganey are among the breeding species that are to berg Var Båtafjorden E6 numbers of birds of prey and flocks of bean geese berg be found. A lot of unusual occasional guests have been observed. Värö graze on the salt marsh meadows and fields. Göteborg Backa There is a nature reserve on the headland at Biskopshagen con- V Tjolöholm´s a Among other birds, hawfinches breed in castle Tjolöholm sisting of a coastal heath overgrown with heather and beautiful rbe nature rg the oak woodlands surrounding the reserve rock formations. Bua castle, which is itself worth a visit. There P P is an impressive view, including the 1 km whole of Kungsbacka fjord. Kungsbackafjorden Å 4 Galtabäck s 1 km a T å P n Just north of Galtabäcks harbour is the shallow lagoon Lerjan, g V a Kungsbacka a Var b rb 3 Getterön Old Varberg e surrounded by grazed salt marsh meadows. Northern lapwing, oyster rg e rg berg Getterön is one of Northern Europe’s foremost bird sites with about 170 nature reserve catcher, redshank and shelduck breed in the summer. During spring species regularly breeding or roosting. Among breeding birds are avocet, and autumn ducks and wading birds roost. Lerjan is an excellent Old Köpstad F a Trönningenäs E6 norr E6 ruff, black-tailed godwit, southern dunlin, redshank, little tern, greylag goose, location for flights of small birds in the autumn at times of easterly nature lk Old e 1 n reserve b bearded tit and yellow wagtail. Large numbers of wading birds and winds and shore lark is often seen in the winter. South of Galtabäck Galtabäck e 41 Köpstad E6 rg dabbling ducks collect during spring and autumn. During the winter is a 10 km long coastal stretch with grazed salt marsh meadows that P Getterön is an international Ramsa area. However, there is no organised car Getterön is frequented by species such as white-tailed eagle, nature P Lerjan 1 km peregrine, smew, kingfisher, little grebe and bittern. A total of 327 reserve Getteröns parking here. Naturum M species of bird have been observed up to and including 2001. E6 Galtabäcks o ru 153 harbour Getterön is a nature reserve and is well prepared for visitors, Gubbanäsan p nature P Va P with several hides, a bird tower and observation huts. There is 2 rberg reserve 6 Källstorp also a Naturum (visitor centre) on Getterön with a café, exhibi- Varberg Just south of Ätran on the E6 E6 tion, sales of books and binoculars, conference premises etc. 1 km Naturum is open all year round, but only at weekends during the winter. E6 there is a wetland area with mar- Ätran P shy meadows, reeds, weeping alder Falkenberg H Morup Getterön 33 and artificial ponds. The area has a alm stad varied bird life which includes gar- P Källstorp Varberg ganey, marsh harrier and rosefinch. Heberg/E6 F Skipås Glommen a lk Steninge and ´nature e n 5 Morups tånge b Stensjö reserve e Glomstenen rg 4 1 km nature etinge/E6 Along with Getterön, Morups tånge is the west coast’s best roosting site for wading P reserve G F a Steninge birds. The area is most well-known for its excellent bay for waders, Korshamn, located lk e n in the southern part and where roosting waders can be studied at very close quarters Morups tånge b e Enet nature Olofsbo rg Falkenberg during their migration. However a great number of birds are also to be found roosting in reserve 7 Busör nature P 5 reserve the north bay. During the winter Morups tånge is a superb location for flight passerines. During spring and autumn wading birds breed in Glomstenen is a good site for watching sea birds with the chance of seeing gannet, shearwater Särdal 1 km 6 the bay south of Busör and ducks spend time in the etc.