Efterlysning: Skarvovernatningspladser

Hej Hvorledes afgøres det, at det er en overnatningsplads?

Her ved Svendborg sidder der som regel omkring 100 skarver på en lille ø ved Thurø, Kidholm.
Når man ser skarvene på øen hele dagen kan man så tælle den med som overnatningsplads?

Mvh
Erhardt

Skarver fra et større område overnatter som regel socialt. De skarver, man kan se dagrastende mange steder på sandrevler, bundgarnspæle o.l., vil før mørket falder på typisk flyve til en overnatningsplads, der kan ligge mange kilometer væk. Så hvis man kender et sted, hvor der sidder mange skarver i dagtimerne, kan man prøve at besøge stedet et par timer før solnedgang og se hvor fuglene bliver af. Formentlig er mange af de danske vinterovernatningspladser beliggende på småøer.

Med venlig hilsen
Jacob

Tak til Jacob.
Jeg har modtaget dette i dag:

During the 5th International Conference of the Wetlands International
Cormorant Research Group held in Freising/Germany the idea of organizing
and carrying out a par Pan European Cormorant Midwinter census was born.
The strong increase and the development of cormorant breeding colonies is
well documented in many European countries not enough - in contrast -
information about the actual situation of the migrating and wintering
population of Great Cormorants in Europe exist.

The aim of a pan European census is to get a picture about the actual
population size, migration pattern and distribution of cormorants in Europe
as complete as possible. To reach that goal we would like to take advantage
of the experience of people joining the existing international
waterbird-census-network as volunteers in many European countries. The plan
is to count all cormorant night roosts (inland and sea coasts) in all
European countries and North Africa in mid January 2003.

Therefore we ask for your help and cooperation!

HOW to count great cormorants in winter ?
In contrast to the practice of the international waterbirds counts taking
place during daytime – cormorants counts have to be made by controlling
roost sites in the late afternoon. Ideally, counts should take place at the
end of the day - about two hours before dusk or at dawn. To avoid double
counts, cormorants should not be counted during daytime on their feeding
grounds or on their day roosts. Cormorants are highly mobile birds used to
fly over longer distances (> 40-60km) between night roosts and feeding
grounds.

Numbers of cormorants counted during the daylight activity can not be used
for summing up counts to get a total sum/result on a national level and
finally will not give an adequate estimate for the overall European
population size. So it is necessary to organize and carry out coordinated
simultaneous night-roost counts !

WHEN? Counting date
Following the recommendations to collect data about waterbirds populations
on an international level, we choose as counting date the 15th of January
or the preceding weekend:

First (preferred) counting date

15 January 2003
or weekend 11/12 January 2003
(alternate date: following weekend 18/19 January 2003)

Note: Please pay attention to the fact that on adjacent locations within an
area or region where shifts of cormorant flocks between roost sites may
occur frequently, simultaneous counts on the same date should be
coordinated on a national level to assure accurate counting results!

WHERE and HOW?

Methology

1. Two European coordinators have been named to be responsible for
contacting potential national coordinators in every country (name of
coordinators and relevant list of countries see below). To build up
contacts support will be given by members of Wetlands International.

2. On a national level identification of relevant roosting sites in every
country is necessary (big cormorant roost sites are often well known due to
research projects, official winter counts or various national reports),
list of relevant roost sites with geographical coordinates should be
available.

3. A national coordinator in every country is organizing a national
counting team. One person for every location/roost site is needed to count
cormorants being present (simultaneous counting date!).

Protocols

4. Use standard forms for counts, either European form or adapted national
form for every country according to their specificity. The European Form
will be distributed in advance by the European coordinators, instructions
about details /notes which should be taken and written down on the
form-sheets will be sent out together with counting forms.

For summing up data collected on a national level to get a Pan European
census - result, the following basic information from every roost-site
count is essential:

• date and hour of count;
• name of observer (on specific location);
• name of national coordinator
• name of locality (plus name of department or province, geographical
coordinates, position of roost sites should be indicated on a joined map of
the roosts at a regional scale);
• Total number of Cormorants being present (at the end of observation time).

5. Collection, summing-up and analysis of counting results in every country
should be made by the national coordinators. The total number of wintering
Great Cormorants and the national map of the distribution of the roosts
should be addressed to the two European coordinators, Dr. Loïc Marion for
North-West Europe and Dr. Rosemarie Parz-Gollner for Central Europe, who
will finally realise the European synthesis.

Additional information and the ount form are available for downloading at
the address:

http://web.tiscali.it/sv2001/paneuropean_census2003.htm

God Jul
Erhardt
www.Snatur.dk