SPEK V VAN DER (2010) Migration and wintering of Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea along the coast of Zuid-Holland. LIMOSA 83 (3): 126-133.

Grey Wagtails breed widespread throughout Europe, and have probably colonised The Netherlands from Central Europe in the late 19th century. Since then the distribution was mostly limited to the eastern and southern parts of the country, but the species continues to spread westwards. In the coastal province of Zuid- Holland numbers have also increased, both during migration (Figs 1-2, Table 1) and in winter (and as a rare breeding bird). This is a fairly recent phenomenon, and this article describes the (increasing) trend in numbers of Grey Wagtails during the migration and wintering periods. Dutch ringing recoveries show that migrant and wintering grey Wagtails mostly originate from Scandinavia (particularly Sweden and Norway), with a smaller proportion from more southerly populations from Denmark to Poland. Dutch breeding birds seem to winter southwest of their breeding areas. Wintering of Grey Wagtails in urban environments seems to be a relatively new development, and an estimate of the wintering population in a part of coastal Zuid-Holland is given. It is postulated that the increase of both migrant and wintering Grey Wagtails is due to the continuing expansion of the migratory northern European populations.

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