NEW BREEDING WATERBIRD SURVEY IN THE
SWEDISH MOUNTAIN CHAIN


The Rapa delta, Sarek national park, one of the best waterfowl
Flock of Common and Velvet Scoters at Lake Tärnasjön
habitats in the Swedish mountain chain.
During 1972 - 1975 the breeding waterbird populations of northernmost
Fennoscandia were surveyed for the first time. This survey covered the
northernmost parts of Sweden, Finland and Norway and has never been repeated
since then. During the summer of 2009, the Swedish mountain chain was
surveyed once more, this time from helicopter and all old squares in the
mountain chain and most special study areas here were visited once more.
The results are still to be analysed but the general impression from the
survey is that there are marked changes for some species. It was clear
already when doing the work that the Common Scoter has increased in
the mountain chain, whereas we found fewer Velvet Scoters than
expected. The Whooper Swan was another species that had increased and
also moved into new areas. The impression was that the Scaup was more
scarce in the south of the mountain chain but that it had kept its possition
better in the north.