Two juvenile Black-winged Stilts / Stelzenläufer (Himantopus himantopus) are trying to overwinter at St. Andräer Zicksee, Seewinkel. This is the first attempt of this species to stay in Austria in winter and to my knowledge, the two birds are responsible for the first records from November, December and January in the country.
Also when temperatures dropped below zero at the end of December 2019, they refused to leave. Black-winged Stilts on standing on the ice among wigeons, shelducks and geese – what an unusual sight!
Update 8 March 2020: Both birds overwintered successfully.
Black-winged Stilts breeding in Europe mainly migrate to Africa in winter. But winter records in southern Europe (i.e. Spain, Portugal, Italy) are no exception, as a quick check on ebird revealed. In Hungary the species has been recorded in November and December, but overwintering has not occurred.
