Voorlopige impressie van simultane zeevogeltellingen langs en voor de Nederlandse kust, oktober 1988

This short note summarizes the preliminary results of a simultaneous survey of seabirds and coastal birds on the Dutch part of the North Sea, carried out from both ships and coastal observation sites (see figure 1 for locations and transects covered). Remarkable features were the absence of Fulmars off the southern coast (while in the north relatively abundant) and the presence of Gannets in all offshore waters. The latter species was seen along the coast as well, but only in the northern parts. Birds like divers, grebes. Eiders and Common Scoters were completely confined to coastal waters and seemed to be more common in the north. Migration of Brents was registered along the coast as well as rather far out at sea. Great Black-backed Gulls and Common Gulls were found to be common in both inshore and offshore waters, while the rather heavy passage of Black-headed Gulls was only noted inshore. Little Gulls were not seen in high numbers from coastal sites, though their distribution at sea seemed to indicate a pronounced preference for coastal waters. Kittiwakes showed a similar distribution to the Fulmar as did the auks.