BIRDS WINTERING IN THE BAY OF GDAŃSK

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors. The Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.

Natural Treasures of Europe

XX LO GDAŃSK POLAND

THE BAY OF GDAŃSK

Bay of Gdańsk is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named

after the adjacent port city of Gdańsk in Poland and is sometimes

referred to as a gulf. The western part of Gdańsk Bay is formed by

the shallow waters of the Bay of Puck. The southeastern part is

the Vistula Lagoon, separated by the Vistula Spit and connected

to the open sea by the Strait of Baltiysk.

THE BAY OF GDAŃSK

Bird's observations on Polish coast

Every year a lot of people and organizations (for example

KULING, The University of Gdańsk) involved in counting and

observation of birds on Polish coast. In November, December,

January, February, if you walk on the beach, you can see many

species of birds.

Bird's observations on Polish coast

• Glaucous Gull• Lapland Longspur• Purple Sandpiper• Black-legged Kittiwake• Iceland Gull• Arctic Redpoll

• Mute Swan

• Sandwich Tern• Long-tailed Duck• Great Cormorant• Tufted Duck• Common Eider

Over 1000 species of birds winter on the Bay of Gdańsk.

The Glaucous Gull

The Glaucous Gull is a large gull which breeds in the Arctic

regions of the northern hemisphere and the Atlantic coasts

ofEurope. It is migratory, wintering from in the North Atlantic and

North Pacific oceans, You can also see this bird on the Polish

coast. This species breeds colonially or singly on coasts and cliffs,

making a lined nest on the ground or cliff. Normally, 2–4 light

brown eggs with dark chocolate splotches are laid.

The Glaucous Gull

The Iceland Gull

The Iceland Gull is a large gull which breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, but not Iceland, where it is only seen in the winter. It is much scarcer in Europe than the similar Glaucous Gull. It is migratory, wintering from in the North Atlantic, You can also see this bird on the Polish coast. This species breeds colonially or singly on coasts and cliffs, makinga nest lined with grass, moss, or seaweed on the ground or cliff. The Iceland Gull isa largish gull, although relatively slender and light-weight.

The Iceland Gull

The Black-legged Kittiwake

The Black-legged Kittiwake is a seabird species in the gull family

Laridae. You can also see this bird on the Polish coast. The adults

is 37–41 cm in length with a wingspan of 91–105 cm and a body

mass of 305–525 g. It has a white head and body, grey back, grey

wings tipped solid black, and have black legs and a yellow bill. In

winter, this species acquires a dark grey smudge behind the eye

and a grey hind-neck collar. The name is derived from its call,

a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake'.

The Black-legged Kittiwake

The Mute Swan

The Mute Swan is a species of swan, and thus a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. You can also see this bird on the Polish coast. It is native to much of Europe and Asia. It is also an introduced species in North America. The name 'mute' derives from it being less vocal than other swan species. This large swan is wholly white in plumage with an orange bill bordered with black. It is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the bill. The Mute Swan is one of the heaviest flying birds.

The Mute Swan

The Purple Sandpiper

The Purple Sandpiper is a small shorebird. The body is dark on top with a slight purplish gloss and mainly white underneath. The breast is smeared with grey and the rump is black. They are late migrants and move to rocky ice-free Atlantic coasts in winter. You can also see this bird on the Polish coast. This species is tame and approachable. These birds forage on rocky coasts, picking up food by sight. They mainly eat arthropods and mollusks, also some plant material.

The Purple Sandpiper

The Lapland Longspur

The Lapland Longspur is a passerine bird in the

longspur family Calcariidae, a group separated by most modern

authors from the Fringillidae (Old World finches). You can also

see this bird on the Polish coast. The Lapland Longspur is

a robust bird, with a thick yellow seed-eater's bill. The summer

male has a black head and throat, white eyestripe, chestnut

nape, white underparts, and a heavily streaked black-grey back.

The Lapland Longspur

The Arctic Redpoll

The Arctic Redpoll known in North America as the Hoary

Redpoll, is a bird species in the finch family Fringillidae. You can

also see this bird on the Polish coast. It breeds in tundra birch

forest. It has two subspecies. Many birds remain in the far

north; some birds migrate short distances south in winter,

sometimes travelling with Common Redpolls.

The Arctic Redpoll

The Great Cormorant

The Great Cormorant is a large black bird, but there is a wide

variation in size in the species wide range. You can also see this

bird on the Polish coast. It has a longish tail and yellow throat-

patch. In eastern North America, it is similarly larger and bulkier

than Double-crested Cormorant, and the latter species has more

yellow on the throat and bill. Great Cormorants are mostly silent,

but they make various guttural noises at their breeding colonies.

The Great Cormorant

The Sandwich Tern

The Sandwich Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. You

can also see this bird on the Polish coast. The Sandwich Tern is

a medium-large tern with grey upperparts, white underparts,

a yellow-tipped black bill and a shaggy black crest which

becomes less extensive in winter with a white crown. Young

birds bear grey and brown scalloped plumage on their backs and

wings. It is a vocal bird.

The Sandwich Tern

The Long-tailed Duck

The Long-tailed Duck is a medium-sized sea duck. It is the only

living member of its genus, Clangula. You can also see this bird

on the Polish coast. Adults have white underparts, though the

rest of the plumage goes through a complex moulting process.

The male has a long pointed tail (10 to 15 cm) and a dark

grey bill crossed by a pink band. In winter, the male has a dark

cheek patch on a mainly white head and neck, a dark breast and

mostly white body.

The Long-tailed Duck

The Tufted Duck

The Tufted Duck is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds. You can also see this bird on the Polish coast. The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name. The adult female is brown with paler flanks, and is more easily confused with other diving ducks. In particular, some have white around the bill base which resembles the scaup species, although the white is never as extensive as in those ducks.

The Tufted Duck

The Common Eider

The Common Eider is a large (50–71 cm body length) sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. You can also see this bird on the Polish coast. It can fly at speeds up to 113 km/h (70 mph). The male is unmistakable, with its black and white plumage and green nape. The female is a brown bird, but can still be readily distinguished from all ducks, except other eider species, on the basis of size and head shape. This duck's call isa pleasant "ah-ooo". The species is often readily approachable.

The Common Eider

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gda%C5%84sk_Bay•http://www.kuling.org.pl/•http://kos.ug.edu.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115:sprawozdanie-roczne-z-2011&catid=34:spotkania-koa&Itemid=29•http://www.fotobest.eu•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaucous_Gull•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapland_Longspur•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Sandpiper•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-legged_Kittiwake•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland_Gull•http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/GullsTerns/IcelandGull/tabid/1093/Default.aspx

Sources:

Sources:•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Redpoll•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich_Tern•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_Duck•http://www.kezk.bio.univ.gda.pl/admin/upload/files/mw_070.pdf•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Cormorant•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufted_Duck•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Eider•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mute_Swan•http://sdakotabirds.com/species/lapland_longspur_info.htm•www.surfbirds.com•www.panoramio.com•www.klub-hortensja.pl

XX Secondary School in Gdańsk, Poland

Supervision: Marzena ChomziukAuthors: Monika Chrapusta, Lucyna Litke, Łukasz

Meksiak