Friday to Friday ringing down under

On Friday (29/04) I visited the Hula Valley ringing station and joined Nadav's team. It was a beautiful morning with about 210 birds ringed and it was good to catch up with some old friends. Most of the birds were Reed and Sedge Warblers but also a few others as Little Bitterns, White-breasted Kingfisher, Barred and Eastern Orphean Warbler (which are irregular in the Hula valley as most of their migration takes place over Israel's central mountain ridge).

Little Bittern

Sedge Warbler

White-breasted Kingfisher

Hula Valley

May started with massive mornings at JBO. 240 birds on 01/05 with a good fall of Blackcaps and 10 Pied Flycatchers. On 04/05 100 birds, first Spotted Flycatcher for me this spring, good species richness and good numbers of Barred Warblers and Masked Shrikes.

Masked Shrike

First tern session took place on the night between Wednesday and Thursday in Atlit salt pans. This was a great night just after dusk a large flock of migrant Common Terns arrived at the site. 121 terns were caught, 8 Little and 113 Common Terns; two Little Terns were controls from last summer.

Little Tern

Last Friday (06/05) I was ringing at Tzoraa valley ringing station. It was a slower morning after a busy week - only 50 birds were ringed, but I was pleased with a beautiful Turtle Dove ringed and with finding a Spur-winged Lapwing family with four chicks near my ringing spot. They will get their rings as soon as they grow up a bit.

Turtle Dove

Crashing populations or irregular migration patterns?

There is an important discussion going on these days about the possible causes of the unusual spring we're experiencing in Israel for the second consecutive year. As it's a popular discussion these days I must take part in it.

First the facts in short:

At the Arava Valley and southern Israel lack of migrants is very evident. At the Eilat Ringing Station - simply no birds, or only few tens every ringing session.

At the Jerusalem Bird Observatory real spring migration started three weeks later than normal and also now numbers are slightly lower than average. Thrush Nightinale is virtually absent. At Hula Valley numbers are also low, and species diversity is low. Barn Swallow is normally a massive spring migrant in Israel; these flocks are seriously missing, mostly at Hula Valley and Eilat but in other parts of country as well.

In my local area, Tzoraa Valley (Judean lowland) this spring is average, but in this area spring migration is normally pretty slow, much slower than autumn.

The possible causes of these observations can be two: crashing bird populations (either in their breeding or non-breeding grounds) or irregular migration patterns. My opinion is less pessimistic than other Israeli field ornithologists. The drop in bird populations is a fact, but it might be causes by several processes - expanding agricultural areas, reducing natural habitats, climate changes, desertification, hunting etc. In my opinion what we're experiencing this season is a combination of several factors - steadily declining populations and unpredictable environmental factors resulting in irregular migration patterns.

But perhaps my personal opinion is biased by the fact that in my local patch there are no apparent changes. I hope that after the autumn my opinion will remain the same.

Here are some unhappy links:

The Israeli hopeless birders in Israbirding.com forum, More from Hungary and more general views from the world.

Meanwhile, here are a few more joyful recent images (before these birds become extinct…)

Barred Warbler

Barred Warbler

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Eastern Orphean Warbler

European tree frog



Migration finally - gallery from JBO

Last two weeks I was ringing at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory (JBO) a few mornings. April is a good month for migrants European passerines in Jerusalem - enjoy!

  

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler

Balkan Warbler

Barred Warbler

Eastern Orphean Warbler

Eastern Orphean Warbler

Common Redstart

Wryneck

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

Pied Flycatcher

Collared Flycatcher

Whitethroat

Sylvia land

On Friday 18/03 I went ringing in one of my favorite ringing site, Modiin Hills. It's a beautiful natural habitat with typical Mediterranean plant community. This is a favorite stopover site for Sylvia warblers, especially in spring but also in autumn, and it is an important breeding site for our local Sardinian Warblers. The secret of this area is the Palestine Buckthorn (Rhamnus palaestinus). This spiny bush is dominant in the area and Sylvia migration cycle is adjusted to its life cycle. In spring the flowers are blooming, and insects coming to the nectar get eaten up by warblers. Further, and the buckthorn's thorns make the bushes themselves a safe shelter. In autumn the sweet fruits ripen; the warblers feed on the fat-and sugar-rich fruit and help the bushes to distribute their seeds.

Flowers in spring and fruit in autumn

Common Whitethroat

This session produced 109 birds, most Sylvia Warblers, as expected: 54 Lesser Whitethroats, 20 Whitethroats, 4 Blackcaps, 4 Sardinian Warblers, 19 Chiffchaff, 1 Quail and other regulars. One of Lesser Whitethroats that I ringed in this site in March 2009 was controlled in Norfolk, England, 3612 km, in May 2010 (see here); I expect more foreign greetings like this.

Sardinian Warbler

Quail

Modiin Hills

Spring ageing

Ageing birds in the hand in spring is a real challenge, unlike in autumn. The differences between adults and second-calendar birds are reduced; most are worn after the winter or very fresh after their moult. The proportion of unaged birds is growing and we're often using the famous phrase '4 is a very good age'... Most difficult to age are those species that perform complete post-breeding moult such as sparrows and short-distance migrants or resident Acrocephalus Warblers (Clamorous and Moustached Warblers). Species that perform complete pre-breeding moult are difficult too (most Acrocephalus, Hippolais and Phylloscopus Warblers), and even individuals with partial moult are very worn and blur their moult limit from the autumn (Chiffchaff).

Nevertheless, it's a very interesting challenge. Below are two examples from last days, second-calendar male Greenfinch with its suspended post-juvenile moult and second-calendar Savi's Warbler with its unusual pre-breeding suspended moult, it has suspended only some central flight feathers.

Greenfinch

Savi's Warbler

Ehrenberg's Redstart

Blackcap with active 'cap' moult

Chiffchaff

Eastern Orphean Warbler

After the previous week's climate changes, warming and suddenly cooling, I found at Tzoraa valley a few frozen Shrews; this phenomenon is regular in winter in Tzoraa.