OBSERVATORY

ANTIKYTHIRA BIRD

ABO’sNewsLetterBirdRinging

Hellenic Ornithological SocietyBarboutischr@gmail.com

January 2012, Vol.4

Antikythira (35°51'N, 23°18'E), is located between the islands of Kythira and western Crete. Due to its position it is the first land after crossing the Mediterranean Sea during spring, and the last land before the sea during autumn. The need of the establishment of a Bird Observatory was conceived in the mid-90s. Nowadays the ringing activities on Antikythira are constant every spring (end of March to end of May) and autumn (from the beginning of Septeber to the beginning of October) and is implemented by the Hellenic Ornithological Society under the supervision of the Hellenic Bird Ringing Center. Up to now more than 37800 birds of 118 species have been ringed on the island. This is the fourth volume of ABO's Annual Newsletter that along with the Antikythira Bird Observatory's (ABO) home page ( ), ABO's blog (http://blogs.ornithologiki.gr/osa/) and ABO’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/ Antikythira-Bird-Observatory-ABO/178024738901614) aims to increase public awareness on bird migration .

many passerines find

http://www.ornithologiki.gr/en/osa

Brief History of bird ringing on Antikythira

Spring season of 2011

In total 2837 birds of 63 species were ringed during the spring season. Details about the species and numbers of birds ringed can been seen in Table 1. As can been seen from the phenology of the birds trapped (Fig. 1) the days with the maximum migration flow were during the first days of May.

Fig 1. Phenology of spring migration

Brief history of bird ringing on Antikythira Autumn season of 2011

In total 652 birds of 36 species were ringed during the autumn season. Details about the species and numbers of birds ringed are shown in Table 1. As can been seen from the phenology of the birds trapped (Fig. 2) t

the 10 first days of October.

he days with the maximum birds ringed were

Fig 2. Phenology of autumn migration.

Recoveries

In total five birds were trapped with a foreign ring at ABO this year and all of them during spring season. The first birds was a Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus with a Czech ring during April. In May the recoveries included a Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus with an Estonian ring, two Golden Orioles Oriolus oriolus with Italian rings and a Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica with a German ring. Up to now, we have no further information about the above birds.

Highlights of the seasons

During this year four new species were added to ABO's ringing list. The most significant of all was an Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais opaca, being the first record for Greece. A Roller Coracias garrulus, a Long-eared Owl Asio otus and two Squacco Herons Ardeola ralloides were also ringed. Furthermoor, as almost every year we ringed a Great Snipe Gallinago media, an Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum and a Bluethroat Luscinia svecica. Another pleasant surprise was the relatively high number of Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator (n=164) trapped during spring.

160

16/05 23/05 28/03 04/04 11/04 18/04 25/04 02/05 09/05

N

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

07/1007/09 13/09 22/09 28/09 01/10

N

ABO’s BirdRinging (2012) NewsLetter Vol. 4

Table 1.Species and number of birds ringed during 2011.

Spring

Autu

mn

Spring

Autu

mn

Common Nightingale126 3

Subalpine Warbler63 8

Luscinia megarhynchos Sylvia cantillans

Thrush Nightingale1 1

Common Whitethroat116 25

Luscinia luscinia Sylvia communis

European Robin42 68

Eastern Orphean Warbler2

Erithacus rubecula Sylvia crassirostris

Yellow Wagtail1

Lesser Whitethroat8 3

Motacilla flava Sylvia curruca

Meadow Pipit1

Garden Warbler502 72

Anthus pratensis Sylvia borin

Tree Pipit99 5

Blackcap140 115

Anthus trivialis Sylvia atricapilla

Tawny Pipit3

Icterine Warbler79 26

Anthus campestris Hippolais icterina

Red-rumped Swallow1

Olive-tree Warbler1

Cecropis daurica Hippolais olivetorum

Barn Swallow69 3

Western Olivaceous Warbler1

Hirundo rustica Hippolais opaca

Sand Martin14

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler28

Riparia riparia Hippolais pallida

Eurasian Wryneck20 2

Great Reed Warbler70 1

Jynx torquilla Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Eurasian Hoopoe11

Marsh Warbler4 2

Upupa epops Acrocephalus palustris

Roller1

European Reed Warbler32 4

Coracias garrulus Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Common Cuckoo7

Sedge Warbler180 2

Cuculus canorus Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

European Bee-eater4

Savi's Warbler3

Merops apiaster Locustella luscinioides

Cetti's Warbler1

Song Thrush12 9

Cettia cetti Turdus philomelos

European Nightjar11

Common Blackbird2

Caprimulgus europaeus Turdus merula

Long-eared Owl1

Blue Rock Thrush3

Asio otus Monticola solitarius

European Scops Owl14 2

Black-eared Wheatear3

Otus scops Oenanthe hispanica

Saxicola rubetra

European Turtle Dove57 2

Northern Wheatear6 1

Streptopelia turtur Oenanthe oenanthe

Delichon urbicum Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Great Snipe1

Whinchat75 5

Gallinago media

1Circus pygargus Phoenicurus ochruros

Common House Martin15

Common Redstart81 34

1Ardeola ralloides Luscinia svecica

Montagu's Harrier1

Black Redstart

Species Species

Squacco Heron2

Bluethroat

ABO’s BirdRinging (2011) NewsLetter Vol. 3

Table 1.Species and number of birds ringed during 2011 (Continuation).

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Simon Valle for being the head ringer during the Autumn season and Angeliki Siomou, Balin Szalczer, Catherine Sauvage, David Migelez Carabajo, Elizabeth Gilson, Gergely Király Botond, Giannis Kontogeorgos, Giannis Vardanis, Ioannis Katsenis,Ioannis Theodoropoulos, John Balck, Kristian Lausten, Manolia Vougioukalou, Margarita Kagiorgi, Nickos Tsirigotakis, Panagiotis Saitanis, Patricia Montier Ruiz, Ruben Gonzalez Jañez, Carlos Ruiz, Stamatina Nikolopoulou, Thodoris Viliotis, Ulla Kail, Valentina Migiani, Vicky Gilson, Victoria Saravia and Artemis Katsadoura for their precious help as volunteers.

.

Red

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ed S

wal

low

Bla

ck-h

ead

ed B

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tin

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ller.

Spring

Autu

mn

Spring

Autu

mn

Balkan Warbler

Spanish Sparrow

164

35

Species Species

6

8

6

2

166 2

4104

20

11

2 1

40

7

52 6

71160

1

9440

1

24

783

57

Goldcrest

Spotted Flycatcher

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Semi-collared Flycatcher

2

European Greenfinch

Hawfinch

Ortolan Bunting

Black-headed Bunting

Corn Bunting

Pied Flycatcher

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Red-backed Shrike

Woodchat Shrike

Sardinian Warbler

Wood Warbler

Willow Warbler

Common Chiffchaff

Collared Flycatcher

Emberiza melanocephala

Emberiza calandra

Coccothraustes coccothraustes

Emberiza hortulana

Passer hispaniolensis

Carduelis chloris

Lanius collurio

Lanius senator

Ficedula hypoleuca

Oriolus oriolus

Ficedula semitorquata

Ficedula albicollis

Muscicapa striata

Ficedula parva

Phylloscopus trochilus

Regulus regulus

Phylloscopus collybita

Phylloscopus sibilatrix

Phylloscopus orientalis

Sylvia melanocephala