The wintering area of Shorelarks Eremophila alpestris breeding in Swedish Lapland

Abstract

Although it is known that considerable numbers of Shorelarks winter in the North Sea region, it has also been suggested that Scandinavian Shorelarks winter in a southeasterly direction. There are only three previous recoveries of ringed birds, only one of them of a bird ringed in the breeding area which gave a doubtful recovery in Spain. Birds that were colour-ringed on the breeding grounds at Ammarnäs in southern Lapland have now given eight winter recoveries: one in southern Norway, six along the Swedish west coast, one in Jutland, and one on Jersey. A ninth recovery was made on the Varanger peninsula in August. This clearly shows for the first time that the Scandinavian Shorelarks winter in the North Sea region and not in any unknown area to the south-east.