© Jan Kieckbusch
MEKUN: Protecting the oceans
Bird diversity in the North Sea and Baltic Sea: use, protection and challenges
Are there only seagulls on the coast that like to steal fish sandwiches? But no!
The water areas are a habitat for many species of seabirds and shorebirds. There is also the unique Wadden Sea, which is particularly important for many species of waders (wading through mudflats and water) as a breeding area and hub for international bird migration.
No matter what time of year: there is always something going on here. During the breeding season, many species that breed on the adjacent coasts search the sea for food for their young birds. On the open North Sea, these are mainly several thousand guillemots, kittiwakes and gannets as well as razorbills and fulmars that breed on the famous Heligoland breeding rock - a unique spectacle! These seabirds mainly prey on fish by diving or diving close to the surface. But terns and gulls also fly far out into the North Sea in search of food from their breeding grounds on the Halligen and sands. Outside the breeding season, the North Sea is home to species that breed in Scandinavia or the Arctic and use the open sea as a resting and wintering area and for the annual change of feathers known as moulting. These include loons (red-throated and black-throated divers), which also feed on fish, and common scoters, which dive for mussels. As some species have a high flight distance from ships and vertical structures, the extensive expansion of offshore wind farms is restricting their habitat on the open sea.
The Baltic Sea is particularly important for sea ducks in the winter months, as they migrate from their northern breeding grounds to the ice-free areas in the western Baltic Sea. The most common species in Schleswig-Holstein are the common eider, the common scoter and the long-tailed duck, all three of which feed on mussels by diving. Especially in the harsh weather conditions during the winter months, it is crucial for the survival of these birds that they find undisturbed and food-rich shallows and coastal waters. Boats and water sports (especially kiting, surfing and wingfoiling), which are now practiced all year round, are the main factors that disturb the birds, and diving waterbirds can drown in fishing nets. The most important resting areas have already been designated as European bird sanctuaries.
In order to protect the birds more effectively, three additional water areas are currently being designated as nature reserves in Schleswig-Holstein.
The breeding populations of several bird species that breed in the Wadden Sea are of international importance.
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The Ocean Race Europe 2025
© Christian Wiedemann / LKN.SH
With its black and white plumage and orange-red beak, the oystercatcher is one of the most striking and best-known Wadden Sea birds
Wadden Sea World Heritage Site
The Wadden Sea, which dries out twice a day, plays an outstanding role as a breeding, moulting and resting area for coastal birds. The breeding populations of several bird species that breed in the Wadden Sea are of international importance. This makes the declining populations of some species such as the little ringed plover, ruff and oystercatcher all the more alarming, as the long-term breeding population monitoring has shown. They are hunted by predators such as foxes and their breeding grounds are increasingly flooded due to climate change - but these are just a few of the reasons. In order to determine the causes and improve management, the national park administration is currently running the “Permanent telemetry of oystercatcher chicks” project. A small radio transmitter on the chicks helps to track the movement patterns of the animals in the first few days and to gather information on the circumstances under which losses occur.
© Klaus Wernicke / LKN.SH
Around 10 million migratory birds rest in the Wadden Sea in both spring and fall
The moulting period follows the breeding season. The Wadden Sea is essential for the shelduck in particular. Around three quarters of the shelducks in north-western Europe gather in the southern Dithmarsch Wadden Sea from the beginning of July to moult. During this time, they are unable to fly for around two weeks. Disturbances during this time are fatal for the animals.
Further information on Baltic Sea protection: schleswig-holstein.de - Ostseeschutz.SH
Information on seabird monitoring: Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten (DDA) (dda-web.de) and on the waterbird census Monitoring rastender Wasservögel — OAGSH
Information on bird species and bird migration in the Wadden Sea: Vögel - Nationalpark Wattenmeer (nationalpark-wattenmeer.de),
Video on the East Atlantic Flyway from the Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative https://youtu.be/4vmpJPziBiE
Information on the oystercatcher: „Dauertelemetrie von Austernfischerküken“
The Wadden Sea as a hub for bird migration
Every fall and spring, around 10 million migratory birds rest in the Wadden Sea off the German, Dutch and Danish North Sea coasts. The development of the resting populations has been monitored in a standardized way for over 30 years. The typical migratory birds of the Wadden Sea usually breed in the tundras of the Arctic, in northern Europe, Asia or even America. On the way to their wintering grounds, which are often in western Africa, several of these species make a single stopover - in the Wadden Sea. This is why the Wadden Sea is also known as the hub of East Atlantic bird migration.
Many birds use their stopover in the Wadden Sea, with its abundance of food, to replenish their energy reserves for their onward journey. Without this stopover, many bird populations are unable to complete their migration. This fact alone highlights the literally global significance of the Wadden Sea and underlines how justified its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List is. This is linked to the global responsibility that the national park has for migratory birds on the East Atlantic Flyway.
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