Staging duration and passage population size of sanderlings in the western Dutch Wadden Sea

• Published in: Ardea
• Main Authors: Loonstra, A.H. Jelle, Piersma, Theunis, Reneerkens, Jeroen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Calidris alba; Sanderling
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/286aacda-0fb6-410a-b726-4197ddf1c64f; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/286aacda-0fb6-410a-b726-4197ddf1c64f; https://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v104i1.a4; https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/37743464/Loonstra_et_al_2016_Staging_duration_and_passage_population_size_of_Sanderlings_in_the_western_Dutch_Wadden_Sea_Ardea.pdf

The population of Sanderlings Calidris alba along the East Atlantic flyway has grown considerably during the last decades. Perhaps reflecting this augmented population size, increasing numbers of Sanderling have been reported to stage in the Wadden Sea during spring and autumn migration. Estimates of the numbers of Sanderlings in the Wadden Sea have previously been based on a limited number of counts that were not corrected for the turnover of individuals. In this study, we accounted for turnover using estimates of the probability that individually colour-ringed Sanderlings are still present two days after a sighting. In combination with daily counts during high tide, we estimated the total number of Sanderlings that used the island Griend and surrounding mudflats, in the western Dutch Wadden Sea, during southward passage in 2013 and 2014. We also estimated minimal staging durations of Sanderlings at Griend. Non-moulting birds were significantly heavier upon capture, which suggests that they were refuelling for long non-stop migratory flights. Winter sightings confirmed that the non-moulting Sanderlings winter in sub-Saharan Africa and that the moulting Sanderlings spent the winter in Europe or northern Africa. With an average minimal stay in the western Dutch Wadden Sea of 9 days in 2013 and 12 in 2014, non-moulting Sanderlings stayed for a much shorter time than moulting Sanderlings, which stayed for 32 days in 2013 and 36 days in 2014. Non-moulting individuals were less likely to be resighted between years. Estimates of minimal staging duration are likely underestimates of the true staging duration, and we propose that moulting Sanderlings probably complete their wing moult in the Wadden Sea. We estimated that the total number of Sanderlings using the western Dutch Wadden Sea before migration to European or African wintering areas were 27,546 (95% Cl 22,739–41,449) in 2013 and 22,574 (95% Cl 16,436–46,114) in 2014. This would amount to 11–14% of a total flyway population of 200,000 individuals, representing ...