Post date: Sep 22, 2012 5:22:57 PM
Last week I spent the first three days at Atenor, in northeast Portugal, ringing birds with colleagues from PADA ringing group. The habitats are very different from the ones where I usually work, being located in the very dry central Iberian region (so called meseta) at an altitude of about 800 m. Nets were placed along a small stream and adjacent agricultural fields. We trapped up to 200 birds a day (Subalpine Warbler and Pied flycatcher were particularly abundant), and I managed to ring a couple of new species, socialize with friends and make new ones, so it was a very positive experience. I might return there next year! The ringing results are posted in PADA's website (see Atenor 9-15 September): a total of 813 birds of 41 species were caught. We also observed several Griffon Vultures, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Teklae Larks, Black-eared Wheatear, Golden Orioles, Bee-eaters and many others.
After arriving home, I carried out two ringing sessions at Salreu, at two different sites, and took off all the equipment, as I'll be spending a long period working in Sweden. No Aquatic Warblers were caught, and only one Reed Bunting, justifying finishing with the fieldwork a bit earlier than planned, even though loads of migrants are still around, and LPS, CC and EC even managed to trap c. 200 Yellow Wagtails on an evening session! The totals of the two sessions were the following:
Acrocephalus arundinaceus (1)
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus 1
Acrocephalus scirpaceus 10 (1)
Alcedo atthis 1
Cettia cetti 17 (8)
Cisticola juncidis 1
Emberiza schoeniclus 1
Estrilda astrild 1
Euplectes afer 12 (13)
Ficedula hypoleuca 7
Hippolais polyglotta 1
Locustella luscinioides 1 (2)
Locustella naevia 3
Luscinia megarhynchus 1 (1)
Luscinia svecica 7
Muscicapa striata 2
Parus caeruleus 2 (1)
Passer montanus 4
Phylloscopus trochilus 22 (1)
Saxicola rubetra 1
Sylvia atricapilla (2)
Sylvia communis 2
Now it is time to write up a few papers and do some lab work. Also, will soon sort out a ringing permit in Sweden, and might go out to the field to do some work with Reed Buntings and organize a constant-effort site. Will let you know about it sometime soon!
Cheers
JMN