Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) Science Article 3
abstract
After the breeding season Pied Avocets Recurvirostra avosetta gather at moulting sites. Counts show that some of these sites host large parts of the total population, but it is not known how many individuals use a particular site over a season (volume of a site). Here we use the method developed by Frederiksen et al, (2001) to calculate the volume of a population of Pied Avocets moulting at Romo (Denmark) in 1993. The results are based on 196 sightings of 55 Pied Avocets that had been individually marked before the beginning of the study. The volume was estimated as 10 148 (95% confidence limits: 7411-13 896), which was 49% higher than the peak count (6805 birds). About 15% of the East Atlantic Flyway population seemed to use the intertidal mudflats of Romo during the moulting period
Hoetker H. & Frederiksen M., ARDEA 89 (3): 537-541