- Which birds live near the Baltic Sea?
- What can be made from the feathers of common eider?
- Why is there a conflict between fishers and cormorants?
Many fish-eating birds live by the sea
Many bird species on islands and coasts of the sea are not found inland, such as the common eider and the oystercatcher. Some of them get food directly from the sea, others find food from the coast. Most seabirds feed on fish. Gulls and cormorants have adapted to catch fish from the high seas, and terns and goosanders feed more commonly near the coast. Ducks feed on invertebrates living in the sea, and woodcocks search for food on the shoreline. Some birds of prey feed on seabirds and fish. Several other seabirds nesting on the coast can also be found on lakes: swans, geese, and ducks.
- Cormorant
- Common eider
- Chaffinch
- Goosander
- Oystercatcher
- Arctic tern
- Crow
- Common gull
The common gull is one of the most common seabirds in the Baltic Sea region
The common gull can be seen everywhere by the sea. They are also common inland and in larger cities. Common gulls are very resourceful in choosing a nesting site: they can nest on small islands, rocks protruding from the sea, and even on coastal trees and the roofs of houses.
- White head
- Light gray back
- Red beak
Recommended Listening Resource
- Listen to the sound of the common gull on the internet.
The goosander used to fill the role of a chicken for the people living on the coast
The fish-eating diving duck, the goosander, is a common bird on the Baltic Sea coast, but they can also be found in inland waters. They have a long beak with a sharp saw-like edge, and a hook at the tip, which is good for catching fish. Goosanders usually nest in tree cavities or caves between rocks. Some coastal people put nest boxes up for the goosanders and, in return, took some eggs from the nest of the birds that started laying eggs. After a while, the nest was left alone, and the goosander could finish laying eggs and hatching them without being disturbed.
- diving duck.
- beach chicken.
- cave chicken.
The common eider feeds on marine invertebrates
Like the goosander, the common eider is also a diving duck. However, the common eider's main food is invertebrates living on the seabed, especially blue mussels. With their strong beak, they easily crush mussel shells. When looking for shells, an eider can dive to a depth of about ten meters. They are not usually found on the coast, but a little further offshore because they are better suited for feeding in slightly deeper sea areas.
The mother eider never leaves the nest voluntarily during the incubation period. Her a three-week "fast" can even end in death for some of the less prepared eiders. Although this adaptation has evolved so that the eggs do not cool down in the cold summer of the Nordic countries, it also saves the eggs of many eiders nesting on the islands from getting looted by large gulls. Their down feathers can be used to make very light and warm down jackets and sleeping bags, which climbers and polar explorers can use.
Think!
- Compare the diet of the goosander and the common eider. How does this relate to the shape of their beak?
- They mainly eat invertebrates caught in the shallow water near the coast. They do not leave the nest during incubation.
- Their down feathers can be used to make warm sleeping bags. The eggs are hatched by the male bird, who never leaves the nest.
- They eat invertebrates living deep in the sea. The female does not leave the nest during incubation. Their feathers are used in sleeping bags and jackets.
The oystercatcher is also called the "magpie of the sea"
The oystercatcher is easy to distinguish from other waders that nest on the coast: they have a long bright red beak, and red legs. They can be seen wading in shallow water with their long legs. From there, they look for molluscs and other invertebrates. They are also looking for them on the beach.
- wader.
- diving duck.
- magpie.
Recommended Listening Resource
- Listen to the sound of the oystercatcher on the internet.
The great cormorant has only recently returned to the shores of the Baltic Sea
In the appearance of the black-feathered great cormorants, there is something similar to the prehistoric flying lizards. These birds were nearly all killed in several Baltic countries during the 19th century, and they did not return to nesting on the small Baltic Sea islands until a few decades ago. Today, there are already thousands of them again, and they have spread elsewhere. Cormorants are good divers, they often catch fish together.
Although they mainly eat smaller fish (eg three-spined stickleback, roach, and Baltic herring), they also catch young salmon, which fishers find valuable. In cormorant nesting colonies, the ground is completely covered with their calcium rich faeces and not a single blade of grass grows there.
- ground is so fertile that the plants thrive.
- vegetation is dead.
Recommended Listening Resource
- Listen to the sound of the great cormorant on the internet.
Think!
- How do cormorants affect the biodiversity of the Baltic Sea coast?
The white-tailed eagle is a bird of prey associated with the sea
The white-tailed eagle is the largest eagle whose life is connected to a body of water. White-tailed eagles live both on the coast and inland near large bodies of water. The white-tailed eagle can nest within kilometres of the coast. The nest is usually made on a strong old pine tree, as it can become very heavy over the years. The white-tailed eagle mainly eats fish and seabirds, but can also hunt on the ground in winter.
Bonus: The endangered white-tailed eagle
The white-tailed eagle is in danger of extinction due to marine pollution, they are extinct now in some countries, but its numbers are returning thanks to reducing poisons, pollutants, and strict protection. About 600 pairs are estimated to nest on the Baltic Sea coast. The scarcity of winter food once reduced the number of white-tailed eagles, but now there are more birds suitable for its food that spend the winter in the coastal waters.
Recommended Listening Resource
- Listen to the sound of the white-tailed eagle on the internet.
Bird migration
Many birds that nest in the tundra and along the coast of the Arctic Ocean also migrate along the Baltic Sea coast. Some of them stop in the Baltic Sea countries. Bird enthusiasts observe the flocks, sometimes with binoculars.
Recommended Viewing Resource
- Watch how the birds migrate on the internet.
- Velvet scooter
- Velvet scoter
- Velvet shutter
Think!
- Which seabirds have you seen yourself?
I now know that…
Many seabirds eat fish. The diving duck called the common eider feeds on marine invertebrates. Surviving cormorants returned to the coasts of the Baltic Sea a few decades ago. They eat smaller fish. The white-tailed eagle is a bird of prey that lives both on the coast and inland near large bodies of water.
