Summary of the results obtained by the ringing group “Grupo Manchego de Anillamiento” (GMA) during 2007

Traduced by David John Barritt

  Another year comes to an end and it’s time to take stock of the results that the GMA has obtained during the year 2007. It has been yet another year difficult to forget with many activities undertaken throughout the year that have been related to and dedicated to environmental education.

 
         Amongst the activities carried out by our group during this year we can highlight the following:

• Every last Saturday each month ringing sessions open to the public were undertaken. These days were dedicated to demonstrate the importance of bird ringing and to collaborate in environmental education.
• Putting up nest boxes and bird ringing in different areas of our province.
• Collaborating with the ringing group LLEBEIG in an informal ringing meeting in the Sierra de Gúdar, Teruel. The objective was to exchange knowledge and experiences with other Spanish ringers.
• Ringing in the PASER (Breeding bird ringing programme) ringing station en Cañada Nava Zorrilla (Ciudad Real) for the seventh consecutive year in an area of Mediterranean woodland.
• Collaboration in the project “Monitoring the colonies of Lesser kestrel (Falco Naumanni) in the province of Albacete, 2007”, for the Provincial Government for the Environment and Rural Development in Albacete, financed by the foundation La Caixa.
• Participation in the Bird ringing campaign during post-nuptial migration in the Salburua wetlands (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava), which the Centre for Environmental Studies, part of the town council of Vitoria-Gasteiz, organised for the fifth consecutive year.
• Organisation and carrying out, together with the Albacete Ornithology Association (SAO), of the “Bird day” the first weekend in October. This time, it was carried out at three locations, one of which was in the installations of the “Centro de Educación Ambiental” (Environmental Education Centre) in the “Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Salvaje de Albacete” (Centre for Recuperation of Fauna in Albacete), in collaboration with the “Junta de Comunidades de Castilla La Mancha” (Governing body of Castilla-La Mancha). The second was in “Los Nuevos”, in collaboration with the Agro-environmental Centre “Los Nuevos” and the third was in Eriste, a locality in Huesca.
• Participation in data recording for the TARSO study, created and organised by the “Centre for Bird Migration” (CMA.)
• Wader ringing, following the methodology of the old CALIDRIS scheme, also promoted by the CMA in collaboration with the EBD.
• Mini intensive bird ringing campaign during post-nuptial migration in the Linsoles reservoir, in Eriste (Huesca). During 5 days, coinciding with the “Bird day”, ringing was carried out in this locality with the aim of obtaining new data in relation to bird migration in the Pyrenees mountain range.
• XII ringing marathon (“XII Maratón de anillamiento”); undertaken in Sotuélamos during post-nuptial migration.
• Participation in the “XV Ringing meeting”, the reason being the 50^th anniversary of the CMA of SEO/BirdLife. Held in “el Carrascal de la Font roja”, near Alcoy from 31^st October – 4^th November.
• Collaboration in the Capture and marking of Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) during migration which the ringing group Fapas-Alcoy carry out as part of the project “Canyet”, and coinciding with the XV Ringing meeting.
• Ringing sessions in Hirundo rustica, Motacilla flava and Emberiza schoeniclus roosts and in fountains/drinking troughs. These methods are very effective as they obtain a great deal of information using less effort compared to other ringing sessions.
• Collaborating in the project “LaBORINg”, a web page whose aim is for all ringers, or people interested in birds, to share information in a simple yet effective way.

The number of captures has increased considerably (4747), overcoming, after 8 years, the 4000 barrier. But, without a doubt our group has achieved a historical record, given that data has been obtained from 119 sub-species belonging to 115 different species. These data reflect the great effort employed in ringing species in the wide variety of habitats that were visited, that without a doubt have helped to achieve this high richness of species. A total of 409 birds were recaptured (controls or recoveries; 402 and 7 respectively). The total of birds ringed in nest boxes almost doubled last years total, obtaining 407 pullus belonging to 14 species, of which 273 were ringed in nest boxes put up by members of the SAO. Of all the ringing places, the “Laguna de Tinajeros” stands out from the rest, reaching 1195 captures and 37 species; more than in any other locality.

It is also important to emphasise the ringing (for the first time in our province, and by the GMA) of 3 species; five European Rollers (Coracias garrulus), two sub-species of Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava thunbergi) and two Alpine Accentors (Prunella collaris). What’s more, ringing data was obtained for the first time by the GMA for the following species (an asterisk = rings read at distance): seven Shags* (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), one Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), eight Greater Flamingos* (Phoenicopterus ruber), one European Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), one Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus), one Yellow-Legged Gull* (Larus michahellis), two Moustached Warblers (Acrocephalus melanopogon), four Marsh Tits (Parus palustris), one Alpine Chough* (Pyrrhocorax graculus) and twelve Common Bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula).

In addition to the aforementioned birds, other important captures obtained by our group in 2007 were: Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, Little Owl, Scops Owl, Pallid Swift, European Bee-eater, Wryneck, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Water Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Dipper, Black-eared Northern Wheatear, Wheatear, Black Wheatear, Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler, Western Orphean Warbler, Iberian Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, European Nuthatch, Southern Grey Shrike, Spanish Sparrow, Hawfinch, Brambling and Siskin. These species are either not very abundant or their distribution in Albacete is not well known. The most caught specie once again was the Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) with 949 captures, followed by the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) with 390.

We caught 15 international controls: 4 from GERMANY, 4 From FRANCE, 2 from BELGIUM, 1 from SWITZERLAND, 1 from ESTONIA, 1 from ENGLAND, 1 from POLAND and 1 from NORWAY:

1. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), Recovered on the 7^th January in the Pozocañada Sewage Plant., Chinchilla de Monte Aragón, Albacete. It was ringed in Numburg, Erfurt, GERMANY, on the 12^th September 2005. 482 days have passed since it was ringed, having travelled 1718 Km as the crow flies.
2. White Stork (Ciconia ciconia). Recovered on the 28^th March in Ossa de Montiel, under high tension power lines. It had been electrocuted. Ringed in SWITZERLAND.
3. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). Recaptured on the 6^th September in the “Laguna de Tinajeros”, Albacete-Valdeganga. Ringed in Kinrooi, Limburg, BELGIUM on the 3^rd August. 34 days have passed since it was ringed, having travelled 963 Km.
4. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). Recaptured on the same day as the previous individual in the “Laguna de Tinajeros”, Albacete-Valdeganga. Ringed in Sainte-Marie-D’Alloix, Isere, FRANCE, on the 19^th July. 414 days have passed since it was ringed, having travelled 1481 Km.
5. Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus). Recaptured also on the 6^th September in the “Laguna de Tinajeros”, Albacete-Valdeganga. Ringed in Geel, Amberes, BELGIUM, on the 12^th August. 25 days have passed since it was ringed, having travelled 1461 Km.
6. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). Recaptured on the 12^th September in the Laguna de Tinajeros, Albacete-Valdeganga. Ringed in FRANCE.
7. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). Recaptured on the 10^th October in the Laguna de Tinajeros, Albacete-Valdeganga. Ringed in ENGLAND.
8. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). Recovered on the 7^th November in the Laguna de Tinajeros, Valdeganga-Albacete. Albacete. Ringed in POLAND.
9. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). ). Recovered on the 9^th November in the Canal de El Salobral, Albacete. Ringed in ESTONIA.
10. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). Recovered on the 11^th November in the Laguna del Canal, Albacete. Ringed in FRANCE.
11. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). Recovered also on the 11^th November in the Laguna del Canal, Albacete. Ringed in GERMANY.
12. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). Recovered on the 26^th November in the Canal de El Salobral, Albacete. Ringed in GERMANY.
13. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). Recovered also on the 26^th November in the Canal de El Salobral, Albacete. Ringed in NORWAY.
14. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). Recovered on the 1^st December in the Canal de El Salobral, Albacete. Ringed in FRANCE.
15. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). Recovered on the 30^th December in the Laguna de Tinajeros, Valdeganga-Albacete. Albacete. Ringed in GERMANY.

What’s more, a bird ringed by our group was recaptured abroad:

1. Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). Ringed on the 26^th November 2006 in the Pozocañada Sewage Plant, Chinchilla de Monte Aragón, Albacete, and recaptured on the 1^st October in Svenska Högarna (Stockholm), SWEDEN. 323 days passed since it was ringed and it travelled 2472 km.