Monitoring and surveying
Monitoring nest sites
At selected nesting sites, nests will be monitored carefully during the whole of the breeding season and parents will be ringed while brooding. At the same time, we count the number of eggs in the nest and make notes of how many young that hatch and how many that survive until they fledge.
Ringing of chicks
Before the young leave the nest, they are ringed so that we can follow them over time, see how many returns from the overwintering sites and thus estimate survival rates for returning individuals. The Southern Dunlin is known to return to the same nesting site each year.
Breeding, rearing and releasing
Headstarting
Initially we are working with a conservation technique known as headstarting. This method has shown to be very effective in halting population decline in other species of wading birds.
Headstarting involves collecting eggs from the nests of birds in the wild, then hatching the eggs and rearing the young in captivity. When the young fledge, they are released in a suitable place. A larger and nearly fledged young bird can protect itself significantly better against predators. This allows a larger number of individuals to reach independence without falling victim to predation or death from other factors such as starvation or accidents.
Field conservation activities
Restoring wetlands
Project Southern Dunlin has co-funded a wetland restoration project in south-eastern Öland, led by the County Administrative Board of Kalmar County. The site was considered suitable partly because Southern dunlins have previously bred there. Small dams were built, and drainage ditches dug in the late 19th century to channel water directly into the Baltic Sea have been filled in, all to restore the habitat that waders on coastal meadows depend on. Today, the wet grassland retains significantly more water than before the work began. Thanks to these measures, water is also held in the area for longer during the dunlins’ most important chick-rearing period in May and June.
During 2025, planning work was carried out for upcoming wetland restoration efforts, and the project also supported clearance work around so-called alvar pools. These shallow and distinctive wetland habitats in the inland areas of Öland are often overlooked, but have historically provided ideal breeding sites for waders. Today, large parts of the alvar have become overgrown with scrub, bushes and tree lines, which do not meet the needs of waders that depend on open, closely grazed landscapes. Looking ahead to 2026, the project is preparing for new tasks, including further scrub clearance and new hydrological measures to restore moisture and open water in the landscape.
Predator control
To reduce predation pressure, the project works with predator control. Direct predator control occurs when predators in close proximity to the birds' nesting sites are removed by hunting or trapping in cooperation with local hunters, while indirect predator control occurs by making it difficult for the predators to access the birds, for example by removing tall trees or bushes - or put up fences to keep terrestrial predators away.
Our partners
The project collaborates with landowners, hunting rights holders and local conservation hunters. In the Ottenby nature reserve on Öland, collaboration takes place with the Royal Courts, which are holders of hunting rights, and on other Öland wader premises, we collaborate with the Mörbylånga hunter group.
Together with the County Administrative Board in Halland County, we are also working on the project "Teeming coast in Halland - from northern lapwing to southern dunlin".
Why predator control?
The southern dunlin is a critically threatened subspecies and is – like many waders – a ground nester. Because of this vulnerability, eggs and young fall prey to, for example, crows, foxes and badgers, which has been demonstrated not least on Öland, where the subspecies today has its strongest stronghold. Predation on waders in southern Öland is between 50 – 90% each year.
For a small and fragmented population, such a high predation pressure can have serious consequences, and if the southern dunlin were to disappear from Sweden - it could be forever. By reducing predation pressure, significantly more chicks survive to adulthood, and at the same time, more vulnerable species of waders in the same habitat also benefit. Here, our partners make an important contribution.
The Southern dunlin project stands behind the fact that protective hunting is justified in cases where serious damage can be demonstrated. The predator control is carried out in the last core areas of the southern dunlin and is diligent work that requires knowledge and continuity to succeed. The hunt is conducted with permission from the County Board during predetermined times and conditions and is carried out by hunting license holders at the respective premises.
In Ottenby, where the cohesive population of southern dunlin is at its largest, breeding is carried out according to the Headstarting method. Protective hunting is an important complement in conservation work, and here the Royal Courts are hunting rights holders.
Nordens Ark and BirdLife Sweden's work is a last-minute effort to save the population of the southern dunlin in Sweden. We acquire knowledge from previous projects such as the Wading birds project. Together with the relevant county administrations, committed landowners, the Royal Courts and local hunters, we can reverse the trend for this flagship species and at the same time preserve our teeming, species-rich coastal meadow environments.
Project southern dunlin operates in the following areas:
Vellinge county, Foteviken in Eskilstorp.
Mörbylånga county, areas along the southeastern coast of Öland and Ottenby.
Cooperation with the County Administrative Board in Halland County through Teeming coast Halland - from northern lapwing to southern dunlin continues during 2025 where cooperation concerns Halmstad municipality, i.a. Trönninge meadows and Hagön. Varberg Municipality Galtabäck, Getterön, Båtafjorden and Balgö.
Falkenberg county Lynga and Munkagårdsfloden.
Information and education
Information points at Ottenby and Nordens Ark
In Project southern dunlin, we want to raise awareness of the state of our wetlands and waders, especially the southern dunlin. Through exhibitions and information points at Ottenby and Nordens Ark, we reach out to a wider target group.
Lectures, events and educational material
In order to spread information and create commitment to the southern dunlin and other endangered waders, we participate in various events where we can talk about the project and what we do. We give lectures during events at Ottenby and Nordens Ark.
BirdLife Sweden has ongoing projects which target teachers, children, school classes and families. Within these projects we will create learning materials in the form of interactive digital challenges and traditional educational material.
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The last stand for the southern dunlin
With financial support from the Swedish Postcode Lottery
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