Liczebność ptaków wodnych na Zatoce Gdańskiej w okresie wrzesień 2020 – kwiecień 2021

The Bay of Gdańsk was partly covered by ice in January and February, mainly in its shallowest part within the Bay of Puck. Despite low winter temperatures numerous Eurasian Wigeons Mareca penelope and Gadwalls M. strepera were found in the bay, while during earlier winters they were much less abundant. In January and February the recorded numbers of Mallards Anas platyrhynchos, Wooper Swans Cygnus cygnus and Eurasian Coots Fulica atra were the highest compared to the numbers found across the last 37 years. Numbers of other species, like the Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Tufted Duck A. fuligula, Greater Scaups A. marila and Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, were also very high. The largest concentrations of Herring Gulls Larus argentatus and Mallars were observed in places of transshipment of grain meal in the port of Gdynia: in February 2021 57% of Herring Gulls and 60% of Mallards were found there. The total number of waterbirds observed between September and April, qualify the western part of the Bay of Gdańsk as a the area of bird concentration on a global scale.