Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1983, Page 80

THE AUTUMN MIGRATION AT AKRABERG,...
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Table 5.
Observations of all the waders.
Species Date 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 3 4 7 8 9 10 11
Oystercatcher 17 10 2 3 15 5 7 1 6 5 2 1 1 1 1 7 3 5 8
Ringed Plover Golden Plover 6 2 1 4 20
Lapwing 1 7 7 8 5 1
Knot Sanderling 1 1 1 1
Purple Sandpiper 1 1 1 2 2 1 4 1 2 1
Dunlin Ruff 6 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Snipe 1 1 3 3 6 8 11 2 2 5 5 4 1 8 13 2
Whimbrel 9 7 6 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1
Curlew 1 1 1 3
Redshank 6 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 1
Comraon Sandpiper 1 3 2 1 2 1 2 2
Tumstone 150 143 13 44 14 75 60 96 85 70 25 45 31 40 1 34 70 24 37
eastern coast towards the south in winds of 20
to 35 knots from the SSW, which is almost
offshore winds.
Auks (Alcidaes sp.) other than Black
Guillemot Cepphus grylle were only seen in
small numbers during high onshore winds.
Land birds. Three species of Geese were
recorded, both resting and migrating, Grey-
lag Anser anser, Pink-footed A. brachyrhyn-
chus and Barnacle Goose Branta bernicla.
Typically, smaller flocks were seen, resting
briefly or migrating, most often late in the
afternoon (table 4).
The passage of Pink-footed Geese took
place during one of the rare periods of wester-
ly winds. It stands to reason that during
autumns with prolonged periods of westerly
winds the migration of geese from Greenland
and Iceland will involve Akraberg to a greater
extent. However, small flocks of Greylag
Goose were also seen on days of high easterly
winds —- (Norwegian birds?).
At least 10 different Merlins Falco colum-
barius were seen, one being an ad. $ and the
rest $ or juv (table 4). The observation of one
Kestrel Falco ’tinnunculus on Oct. 8th and
9th indicates 'that also some of the Merlins
I
might come from Scandinavia, besides the
Faroese and Icelandic migrants.
Waders occurred in decreasing numbers
during the period (table 5), and apart from
Turnstone Arenaria interpres, numbers were
small. Several species came from the east
(Ruff, Philomachus pugnax and Common
Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos), just as the
occurrence of Snipes Gallinago gallinago cul-
minateđ in connection with easterly winds.
Rock and Meadow Pipit were the most
numerous passerines migrating by day (fig. 6).
The local population of both species is
numerous, but whereas Meadow Pipit also
breeds in Iceland, the Faroe Islands represent
the northwesternmost palearctic population
of the Rock Pipit. So far, this population was
considered to be completely resident. None
of the species are long-range migrants, but
they occur in Scandinavia as migrants or
partly migrants. However, nothing during
the present period indicated any large appear-
ances from the east. Clearly, the largest num-