
A unique record of a ‘Swedish’ stint in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Text by: Magnus Hellström Birds ability to cross continents and oceans never stops to fascinate, and this is a true Christmas story that bridges both birds and ornithologists in Europe and America. Let’s start from the beginning. Ottenby Bird Observatory is situated in southeast Sweden, on the southern cape of the Baltic island Öland. The observatory is run by BirdLife Sweden and has conducted research on migrating birds for 75 years. To this day, 1.3 million birds have been ringed, and about a quarter of a million of these birds are waders (also known as shorebirds). Just as most other bird observatories, much of the work is carried out by deeply committed and knowledgeable volunteers. During late evening of September