Włodzimierz Meissner, Patryk Rowiński, Lucjan Kleinschmidt, Jacek Antczak, Piotr Wilniewczyc, Jacek Betleja, Roman Maniarski, Renata Afranowicz-Cieślak
Ornis Polonica 2012, 53: 249–273
https://doi.org/10.12657/ornis.2012.4.1
Abstract: Censuses of wintering water birds were conducted in 2007–2009 in 265 human settlements with more than 1,000 inhabitants, including104 localities where birds were counted during one winter and 59 sites, where counts were carried out during all three years. This paper presents only data collected on water bodies within the administrative town/city borders. All water birds except gulls Larus sp. were counted. In 2007 and 2008 within the area of 201 and 210 settlements, respectively, a total of o 84,203 and 124,135 wintering birds were recorded. It is assessed that these cities and towns hosted at least 20% wintering Polish population of the Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, 17% of the Mute Swan Cygnus olor and 8–19% of the Coot Fulica atra. In 59 localities surveyed during three years, the highest bird numbers were recorded during the coldest winter of 2009, and the lowest during the mildest one. The Mallard was by far the most numerous bird species, making up 86.1% of all recorded water birds. Its numbers ranged from 69,123 to 107 926 individuals in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Mallards were most abundant in Warsaw and Wrocław, where the numbers exceeded 10,000 individuals. Other common bird species were the Coot and Mute Swan, whose shares amounted to 7.0% and 2.9%, respectively. The Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo and Goosander Mergus merganser were the only other two species whose proportion exceeded 1% (respectively 1.5% and 1.3%). In places where people were feeding birds from 79% (2007) to 87% (2009) of all counted individuals were recorded. More than 75% of the Mandarin Ducks Aix galericulata, Mallards, Pochards Aythya ferina and Mute Swans were found at reservoirs where birds were fed. An exceptional area for wintering birds was Silesian conurbation. Except for numerous wintering Mallards and Mute Swans, the largest urban aggregations of the Moorhens Gallinula chloropus and Coots were found there. In this area the highest numbers of species rarely wintering in Poland were recorded, including the Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina, Ferruginous Duck A. nyroca, and seaducks.
