Terns - the opening shot

I began the tern ringing season with four tight sessions, 30/4-08/5. This period is normally very productive with the peak of tern migration, and then numbers normally reduce when the breeding birds start laying eggs. We enjoyed nice totals including some nice shorebirds and interesting controls.

Little Tern

The first was a Common Tern ringed in Ukraine and second was from Poland. Another nice control was of a Little Tern I ringed as juvenile in July 2011 and now returned for its first breeding season.

INFORM RING CENTER KIEV UKRAINE

ST.ORN.GDANSK POLAND

The total is 214 birds by this list:

1 Pied Kingfisher

3 Common Ringed Plover

1 Temminck's Stint

25 Little Stint

2 Ruff

1 Wood Sandpiper

1 Bar-tailed Godwit

3 Slender-billed Gull

31 Little Tern

142 Common Tern

1 Black Tern

1 Barn Swallow

1 Thrush Nightinale

1 Common Nightingale

Bar-tailed Godwit

Black Tern

During the next few weeks I will stop ringing near the breeding colony, not to disturb the sensitive colony. This is Israel's largest tern colony. Meanwhile I will observe the colony using our web camera from my house - much better observation conditions! During the last week I produced some nice recoveries of our ringed birds, when I sit more than 60 km from the events.

Turnstone

Thanks to my helpers for the strenuous work this time: Ron, Hans, Yoram, Eilon, Rafi, Arad, Re'a, Adiv, Gay, Michael, Sapir and Yoval.