Common Scoter Melanitta nigra
During the winter Common Scoters are normally found far out at sea and only smaller numbers are found close to the shore. The exception are Skälderviken and Laholmsbukten in the southern part of Kattegatt, the only area where you can see larger flocks of the Common Scoter from the shore. At an aerial survey in 2009 the total for Laholmsbukten was estimated to be 11000 with a further 4500 in Skälderviken. The numbers of the species have been markedly lower in the Baltic. The winter of 2007 was an exception with about 40000 Common Scoters estimated to be present in the Swedish part of the Baltic.
The indices for both Septrember and January show marked increases with high values during the last few years but with a marked variation between years. The indices mainly reflects the situation in the main sites in Kattegatt.
The estimated totals of Common Scoter for different areas in the Swedish part of the Baltic from offshore aerial surveys.
| OMRÅDE | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2016 |
| Falsterbohalvön | 2100 | 470 | 300 | 375 | 1900 |
| Skåne sydkust | 500 | 430 | 0 | 140 | |
| Skåne sydost | 0 | 0 | |||
| Hanöbukten | 13500 | 300 | 238 | 0 | |
| Blekinge ytterzon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kalmarsund | 20600 | 60 | 150 | 25 | 210 |
| Öland ostkust | 3200 | 560 | 500 | 0 | |
| Ölands norra grund | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midsjöbankarna | 0 | 63 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hoburgs Bank | 40 | 2110 | 338 | 0 | |
| Gotlands ostkust | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| Gotska sandön mm | 0 | 100 | |||
| Gotlands Västkust (land) | 0 | ||||
| Kalmar skärg | Is | 0 | |||
| Österg skärg | Is | 0 | |||
| Sörml. Skärg | Is | 0 | |||
| Stockholms skärg | Is | 0 | |||
| Upplands kust | Is | 0 | |||
| Gävlebukten | Is | 0 | |||
| TOTALSUMMA | 39900 | 1860 | 2623 | 1501 | 2350 |
The west coast of Sweden was only counted in 2009, when one aerial survey was made. Scoters were found in the traditional areas in rhe southern part of Kattegatt in numbers estimated below.
|
| Estimated population | |
|
| Skälderviken | Laholmsbukten |
| 4500 | 11000 | |
| Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca | 1320 | 1120 |
| Melanitta sp | 750 | 1310 |
| TOTAL | 6580 | 13430 |