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– It is a dizzying sensation that a small snapper weighing only 30 grams, in its solitude, has crossed the entire Atlantic and is now in South Carolina. I was really excited when I saw it. I was barely able to sleep through the night on Christmas Eve, says Magnus Hellström, head of the Ottenby bird station on Öland, where the bird was ringed earlier this fall.
The normal migration route for small snails runs from northern Russia, through Europe, and then into southern Africa, where they overwinter.
– It’s a year born in 2020, somewhere by walruses and mountain foxes in the Russian tundra towards the north coast of the Arctic, says Hellström.
On September 9, the small snapper was caught in a net at Ottenby Bird Station, where it was ringed along with another small snapper.
– So we don’t know much more than now, three months later, he finds himself on a beach in South Carolina, where he really shouldn’t be, says Hellström and thinks he must have kept too western a coastline.
The little bustard was discovered by an American bird watcher and on Christmas Eve, Hellström received a link to an American Facebook group where images of the bird were posted and the origin of the ring was discussed.
– I realized it was our bird. Detective work followed before we were completely sure what individual it was, he says.
For a bird from Sweden to end up in North America is highly unusual, and since the beeping started over a hundred years ago it has only happened twice. In Sweden, a total of 15 million birds have been ringed.
– In principle, all migratory bird movements from Europe take place towards Africa or South Asia. This is where we have heavy traffic, just the roads.
Although it has flown a lot badly, it is not unlikely that it will find its way back this spring.
– Waders are partly long-lived and long-distance migrants. “I don’t think it’s at all incredible that this bird is ever finding its way home again,” says Hellström.
Troy Enekvist / TT
The little snapper is about 15 cm long with a wingspan of about 35 cm.
It has a thin, dark bill and dark legs. The brood costume has an orange chest, white collar, and a strong white V on the back. The winter coat and young birds have gray spots on top and light spots on the bottom.
The little bustard nests in the arctic parts of the extreme north of Norway and Russia. Winters in southern Africa and Asia.
The bustard moves mainly at night but rests, for example, on marine beaches and wetlands. The autumn migration takes place between July and October, when the adult birds move first, while the young birds move at the end of the period. Relocation takes place between May and June.
Source: Fågeln.se
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