Common Eider

(a) Spring (b) Autumn

Figure 3-41. Relative abundance during (a) spring and (b) autumn of Aythya marila counted on twiceweekly estuarine surveys in the Andakíll Ramsar site in 2017. Spring = 12th March - 7th June; Autumn = 12th June - 25th October. The number of dots in each subsite refers to the total number of bird-records (from weekly low tide and rising tide surveys) in spring and autumn, adjusted for the length of the season, and reflects the species’ abundance in that season, not the specific location of birds.

Common Eider

Somateria mollissima Æðarfugl

Eider were not numerous within the survey area and there were generally 10 – 15 birds recorded per survey. The highest number of birds was recorded in the last week of April, and the last record occurred on the first week of October. Eider showed a strong preference for Flæðhöfðasker (Est 6), which is adjacent to Borgarnes Bridge, the west side of which is a popular area for Eider. Small Eider ducklings were observed in the survey area on 21st June. Due to their small size, these birds must have hatched near to, or in, the Ramsar site, but no nests were found.

Number of individuals 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Low-tide Rising-tide

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Week number and month

Figure 3-42. Number of Somateria mollissima recorded during weekly low tide and rising tide estuarine surveys in the Andakíll Ramsar site between 12th March and 25th October 2017.