Tzor'a update

Last week Hans Jurgen Eilts from Germany joined me to ring in Tzor'a Valley. Together we ringed about 300 birds. Late autumn migrants and first winter visitors were picking up: We ringed the first Robin, European Stonechat, Moustached Warbler and Chaffinch; Chiffchaffs and Bluethroats were also very common. The most interesting birds this week were the third River Warbler of this season - until this year I never had this species in autumn; the first Common Rosefinch this autumn and the second Wren ever ringed at Tzor'a, the previous one was ringed in February 2005.

River Warbler

Wren

Thanks to Hans for this nice week.

Tzor'a Ringing - September summary

Sorry for the delayed summary, lately I have been very busy.

So, September is the first month when we really feel the autumn. During 10 ringing sessions I caught 1038 birds of 50 species. Largest numbers were swallows with 415 individuals and Reed Warbler with 104 individuals.

On September 25^th I ringed the first Golden Oriole for Tzor'a Ringing Station and on 28^th the first ringed Eurasian Cuckoo. Other species worth noting were Water Rail (1), Corncrake (1), Zitting Cisticola (10), River Warbler (1) - only second for Tzor'a, Marsh Warbler (7) and Cretzschmar's Bunting (11).

I was ringing several times in a Paprika field, near my regular spot. This site was very productive with many Savi's Warbler, shrikes - including a nice wave of about 15 Lesser Grey Shrikes early in the month, also very nice flocks of Ortolan and Cretzschmar's Bunting. Late in the month the Alfalfa field became very productive with a few Lesser Kestrels and Red-footed Falcons and the regular huge flocks of Yellow Wagtails.

Eurasian Cuckoo

Zitting Cisticola

Cretzschmar's Bunting

Corncrake

House Martin

Moult of the past

Last Sunday I visited in the Tel-Aviv University, Museum Zoological. My main goal was to obtain moult data from passerine skins preserved in their collection. It was very interesting and productive. Most interesting was to check several species that are very hard to trap. For each species I found many different individuals collected in different seasons.  This is very difficult to achieve in live birds. Most skins I checked were collected many years before I was born. See below some interesting examples.

White-throated Robin, adult male

Arabian Warbler

Striolated Bunting, male and female

Hooded Weatear, adult and juvenile

Another Common Tern report, now from Belarus!

I received a report about another Common Tern I ringed in Atlit in first week of May, found in Belarus in late May. This is another piece added to the puzzle, showing that a massive wave of European Common Terns passes through Israel in few days in early May. That night 06-07/05 I controlled a Common Tern from Poland, and another one from that night was found in Hungary in June and now comes this report from Belarus. Three controls from 105 Common Terns in one night is fantastic, given that part of those terns are from the breeding population.

This Common Tern was found in Svisloch River, Minsk - 2426 km NNW to Atlit.

Thanks to Tatiana Pavlushchick from Belarus Bird Ringing Center for the interesting report and to Dmitry Goncharov for the discovery and photos.

Common Tern in Germany

I received a report about my Common Tern found in E Germany. The bird was ringed in Atlit in September 2010; it was the last Common Tern I ringed during 2010 season (!). It was found in fishponds of Tauerwiesen - Saxony (2646 km). Thanks to Hendrik Trapp for the report and photo.