{"title":"A method for mist-netting breeding Eurasian Woodcock: use of visual and audio lures increases capture rate","authors":"Christine Heward, A. Lowe, A. Hoodless","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2017.1332144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2017.1332144","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT We describe a method for mist-netting Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola in the breeding season using a remote-control playback lure and a decoy. Nineteen roding woodcock were caught in 39 sessions in 2016. A GLM, in which length of mist-net was specified as an offset, was used to compare our capture rate to that of a previous study in which no lure was used, suggesting our ‘number of captures per session’ was approximately nine times higher. Ringing individuals that are known to belong to Britain’s resident breeding population could provide more comprehensive data, which are of particular value given this population’s ongoing decline.","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"32 1","pages":"50 - 53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2017.1332144","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43275277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Habitat preferences of juvenile Scottish Ospreys Pandion haliaetus at stopover and wintering sites","authors":"R. Crawford, J. Long","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2017.1323998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2017.1323998","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In this study, we use satellite-tracking data from five juvenile Scottish Ospreys Pandion haliaetus to explore habitat preferences at stopover and wintering sites. Daily activity patterns were analysed using a binomial generalised linear model. Kernel density estimation was used to identify core areas at stopover sites and seasonal ranges at the wintering site. A ‘use versus available habitat’ study design was implemented to test whether Ospreys showed preference for a variety of landscape and land-cover variables and for protected areas. Autumn migration strategies varied between individuals, with some Ospreys using stopover sites in France, Spain and Morocco. Ospreys wintered at sites in West Africa. Activity levels varied through the day, with localised peaks at 11:00 and 15:00 h. Ospreys preferred to be near to water features (rivers, lakes, ocean) while avoiding urban areas. Individual differences were observed when considering preference for forest and open-area land-cover classes. Overall, Ospreys did not preferentially use protected areas. Our research confirms already well-established preferences for aquatic habitats, but preference for or avoidance of other habitats, including protected areas, varied between individuals. We highlight the potential of combining satellite-tracking data with environmental data sources to explore the spatial ecology of migratory birds at stopover and wintering sites abroad.","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"32 1","pages":"1 - 18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2017.1323998","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49246953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Separating British Marsh Tits Poecile palustris and Willow Tits P. montana using a new feature trialled in an online survey","authors":"R. Broughton, P. J. Alker","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2017.1324000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2017.1324000","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Confident separation of Marsh Tits and Willow Tits remains a challenge in Britain due to the similar appearance of the local races of both species. Several criteria are available to assist the identification of birds in the hand, but none is completely diagnostic and most are invalid for young juvenile birds. Due to the continued decline in abundance of both species, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to trial new identification criteria in the field, as very few ringers are catching sufficient numbers of either species. This paper describes the results of an online survey that was used to test a proposed new identification feature for separating the two species, based on differences in the pattern of colour contrast on the greater covert feathers. The online survey was effective in recruiting a sufficient sample of ringers, of varying experience, who were asked to identify images of Marsh Tits or Willow Tits based only on features of the greater coverts that had been demonstrated using training images. On average, each ringer identified 82% of the 18 images correctly, and each image was identified correctly by an average 84% of the 140 ringers. The pattern of the greater coverts is therefore recommended as an additional, complementary criterion for separating Marsh Tits from Willow Tits. Online surveys are also recommended as an efficient platform for the trialling of identification features within the ringing community.","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"32 1","pages":"43 - 49"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2017.1324000","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48082304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Colour-ring resightings and flock counts link the increasing Welsh wintering Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis flock to a naturalised breeding population in the Lake District","authors":"S. Dodd","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2017.1323997","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2017.1323997","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In the early 1990s, Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis started wintering regularly on the Dyfi Estuary, Wales, increasing to 380 birds in 2012. To inform future site-management decisions, 25 birds were caught and fitted with colour rings in November 2013. Fourteen of these individuals were resighted the following spring at Derwent Water in the Lake District. Peak seasonal counts correlate strongly between the two sites, implying that at least the majority of the wintering birds on Dyfi are of naturalised origin.","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"32 1","pages":"54 - 57"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2017.1323997","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45040946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Problems with multiple colour rings on Curlews Numenius arquata","authors":"John Sanders","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2017.1324001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2017.1324001","url":null,"abstract":"Twenty and more years ago gull ringers were using multiple colour rings, but there were many drawbacks. Observers had difficulty identifying and recording the different colours, rings faded to appear grey, particularly the pale ones, and many rings were lost altogether. This was an unsatisfactory situation for long-lived species. In addition, the combinations available ran out, so that eventually three different projects, two in Britain and one abroad, were using identical sequences, causing immense confusion. Once coded rings became available the gull ringers quickly started using them. EURING (the European Union for Bird Ringing) coordinators for large and small gulls work with ringers to avoid duplication of codes, and put observers of ringed gulls in contact with the ringers. Similarly, ringers of other large species, such as Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber and Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, have transferred to using coded rings. In addition, Dirk Raes has created a website (www.cr-birding.org) where colour-ringing schemes are listed, together with contact addresses for the ringers, allowing observers to find out who ringed the birds they have seen. This has worked extremely well, and there is now a network of observers throughout much of Europe who are in close contact with the various ringers in different countries. So why are some large waders still being marked with multiple colour rings? Here I report on my experiences in a detailed study of colour-ringed Curlew Numenius arquata on the Severn Estuary, south of Lydney, in Gloucestershire. The study aimed to provide information on both survival and turnover. A total of 165 birds were trapped in cannon nets on Wibdon Warth (ST5796) from 2010 to 2013. Each bird was marked with a combination of five colour rings and a BTO metal ring. The ringers felt that combinations would be easier to read than engraved rings, as the birds were expected to be quite distant from observers. This scheme was agreed with the International Wader Study Group (IWSG), which coordinates the colourmarking of waders on behalf of EURING. For each bird a yellow ring was placed over a white on the left tarsus, to identify the scheme, with a single colour ring on the left tibia, and two on the right tibia, to identify the individual. A metal ring was put on the right tarsus (Figure 1a). Although the IWSG agreed the type of rings fitted, they will not have been able to take into consideration whether the rings were appropriate for the species in the location where it was trapped. They would not have determined whether the rings were easy to identify, but just taken into account that there was no duplication, and the possibility of confusion with other schemes. It soon became clear that birdwatchers were having difficulty in identifying the colour-ringed birds. An extreme example is shown in Figure 1b. The bird was marked with yellow over white on the left tarsus, blue on the left tibia, red over red on the right tibia","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"32 1","pages":"58 - 62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2017.1324001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44939951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Migration of Black Storks Ciconia nigra at a migratory divide: two different routes used by siblings from one nest and two different routes used by one individual","authors":"I. Literák, Petr Kafka, J. Vrána, F. Pojer","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2017.1332260","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2017.1332260","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Black Storks Ciconia nigra breeding in Europe use two main migratory routes to winter in Africa: a western route over Gibraltar and an eastern route through Turkey and Israel. A broad area of migratory divide exists in central Europe. We examined cases from the Czech Republic wherein siblings from one nest used different migration routes. We found 20 such cases associated with 18 nests distributed throughout the entire territory of the Czech Republic. Moreover, one bird hatched in 2007 used the western migration route in 2007 and the eastern one in 2009. The actual geographical position of a juvenile Black Stork from an area of migratory divide in the autumn period of migratory restlessness (after the dispersal period) influences the decision to choose the western or eastern direction of migration. We also propose that Black Storks that are older than one year and therefore with experience of past migrations could decide their direction of autumn migration and be followed by inexperienced juvenile Black Storks. Siblings originating from an area of migratory divide can commonly use both main migration routes.","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"32 1","pages":"19 - 24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2017.1332260","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48419430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
John W. Mallord, C. Orsman, Japheth S. T. Roberts, R. Skeen, Aly Issa Maiga, Oumar Baro Issa
{"title":"First evidence for recurrence of Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix in sub-Saharan Africa","authors":"John W. Mallord, C. Orsman, Japheth S. T. Roberts, R. Skeen, Aly Issa Maiga, Oumar Baro Issa","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2017.1332235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2017.1332235","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT We provide the first evidence of Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix returning to the same sites in sub-Saharan Africa between years (recurrence).","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"32 1","pages":"25 - 27"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2017.1332235","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42313956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New moult pattern in diurnal raptors: primary moult pattern of the Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis","authors":"Seung-Gu Kang, W. Hur","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2016.1260861","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2016.1260861","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In the family Accipitridae, the primary feathers (p) are moulted sequentially from p1 (innermost primary) outwards to p10. In comparison, the primaries are moulted divergently in the family Falconidae, starting from p4 (and sometimes p5), and simultaneously ascending towards p1 and descending towards p10. This moulting process is considered to be representative across diurnal raptors. Here, the moult pattern of the Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis was examined from museum specimens and from direct observations of live birds. Two types of moult patterns were detected, with 13.2% of birds exhibiting a ‘normal-type’ moult and 59.4% of birds exhibiting a ‘new-type’ moult, while patterns could not be detected in the remaining 27.4%. During the non-breeding season, the primary feathers generally moulted outwards in the normal-type moult, starting from p1 and ending at mostly p8. In contrast, the intensity of the new-type moult varied among individuals, with most individuals moulting feathers between p4 and p8 and replacing their primaries between p3 and p10.","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"32 1","pages":"28 - 36"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2016.1260861","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49571561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
O. Gordo, J. L. Arroyo, Rubén Rodríguez, A. Martínez
{"title":"Sexing of Phylloscopus based on multivariate probability of morphological traits","authors":"O. Gordo, J. L. Arroyo, Rubén Rodríguez, A. Martínez","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2016.1258138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2016.1258138","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Sexes cannot be distinguished with certainty by human observers in many avian species. However, some apparently monomorphic species have small but measurable sexual dimorphisms in biometry, which can be used to determine sex. Here, we develop a method based on multivariate probabilities to improve sexing in three Phylloscopus species. We captured 16 124 Common Chiffchaffs (P. collybita), Iberian Chiffchaffs (P. ibericus) and Willow Warblers (P. trochilus) during postnuptial migration in the Doñana National Park (SW Spain). We estimated the probability of them being male or female based on a combination of the density distributions of wing and tarsus lengths. Density distributions were derived as two normal components of the mixture distribution in both traits. Discriminatory ability was compared under different assumptions. 95% of Common Chiffchaffs, 92% of Iberian Chiffchaffs and 87% of Willow Warblers were sexed with 95% confidence. These percentages are greater than those reported for these species using sexing methods based only on wing length. Our method was not affected by changes between years in the degree of dimorphism or mixture of populations from different geographical origins. In the Iberian Chiffchaff and the Willow Warbler, sexing was improved when our method was applied to immatures and adults separately. Sex ratio was estimated to be two females per male in the Common Chiffchaff and the Willow Warbler. In the latter species, females migrated one week later than males. Sex ratio in the Iberian Chiffchaff was 1:1. Our sexing method could be used for other species with known and apparent dimorphism or to any data set of birds with biometric measures.","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"31 1","pages":"83 - 97"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2016.1258138","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59905585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Di Vittorio, S. Henriquet, E. Kobierzycki, L. Luiselli, E. Hema, L. Murabito, G. Rannisi, P. López‐López
{"title":"Dispersal of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus: the first case of long-distance relocation of an individual from France to Sicily","authors":"M. Di Vittorio, S. Henriquet, E. Kobierzycki, L. Luiselli, E. Hema, L. Murabito, G. Rannisi, P. López‐López","doi":"10.1080/03078698.2016.1260852","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2016.1260852","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Knowledge of juvenile dispersal is important for understanding population dynamics and for effective conservation, particularly of geographically isolated raptor populations. Here, we report the first documented case of a long-distance movement of an Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus from the French population to Sicily. This observation opens a new perspective for the conservation of the small and endangered Sicilian population of this species, providing evidence that persistence of the Italian population may be aided by new input from other countries.","PeriodicalId":35936,"journal":{"name":"Ringing and Migration","volume":"31 1","pages":"111 - 114"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03078698.2016.1260852","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59905759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}