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Monday, August 25, 2014

ABP 2014: Week 5

many Eurasian Wrynecks have been trapped throughout the last week © Friedrich Eidam
While I visited the 26th International Ornithological Congress in Tokyo, my team continued the work at Muraviovka Park. But they had to struggle with unusual high numbers of aggressive wasps and biting bats at the mist-nets - problems we never had in the years before. Nevertheless, they made some good efforts - the impressive nocturnal migration of the Siberian Rubythroat hast started and they trapped the very first adult male Siberian Blue Robin.
Duck migration has also started, and more than 500 individuals are gathering now on Kapustikha lake in front of the headquarters. Among them have been up to 6 Eastern Spot-billed Ducks (most likely a family), 22 Baikal Teal and an early Common Goldeneye.

a young Common Cuckoo - rarely trapped © Julia Schröder
1Y Pied Harrier © Friedrich Eidam
a family of Spot-billed Ducks © Friedrich Eidam
the first Hooded Cranes are on their way © Friedrich Eidam
seasons first Pale Thrush, a first-year bird © Julia Schröder
a thunderstorm is coming... © Julia Schröder
already the second Japanese Quail in 2014 © Julia Schröder
young visitors at the ringing station © Julia Schröder

My week was also succesfull - I gave a presentation about the impact of fire on bird migration based on our data from the last three years at Muraviovka Park. Furthermore, a lot of new contacts and collaborations have been established, which will allow us to go the next step with the Amur Bird Project. Together with scientists from Russia, Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan and new bird tracking techniques we are hopefully going to explore the almost unknown migration routes of Passerine birds in East Asia.
26th International Ornithological Congress in Tokyo - closing ceremony © Wieland Heim
together with Olga Valchuk (Vladivostok), Pavel Ktitorov (Sachalin) and Andrey Mukhin (Rybachy) © Wieland Heim

//Wieland

18.08.-24.08.2014, Total traps: 737 birds out of 45 species
Rubinkehlchen Siberian Rubythroat Соловей-красношейка 192
Dickschnabel-Rohrsänger Thick-billed Warbler Толстоклювая камышевка 103
Streifenschwirl Pallas´s Grasshopper-warbler Певчий сверчок 61
Dunkellaubsänger Dusky Warbler Бурая пеночка 54
Brauenrohrsänger Black-browed Reed-warbler Чернобровая камышевка 37
Gelbbrauen-Laubsänger Yellow-browed Warbler Пеночка-зарничка 34
Wanderlaubsänger Arctic Warbler Пеночка-таловка 31
Braunwürger Brown Shrike Сибирский жулан 29
Zwergschnäpper Red-breasted Flycatcher Восточная малая мухоловка 21
Middendorff-Laubsänger Two-barred Warbler Двупоясковая пеночка 17
Maskenammer Black-faced Bunting Седоголовая овсянка 15
Feldsperling Eurasian Tree Sparrow Полевой воробей 15
Schwarzkehlchen Common Stonechat Черноголовый чекан 11
Mandschurenammmer Ochre-rumped Bunting Рыжешейная овсянка 11
Karmingimpel Common Rosefinch Обыкновенная чечевица 10
Strichelschwirl Lanceolated Warbler Пятнистый сверчок 10
Wendehals Eurasian Wryneck Вертишейка 9
Rötelammer Chestnut Bunting Рыжая овсянка 7
Chinarohrsänger Oriental Reed-warbler Восточная дроздовидная камышевка 6
Kohlmeise Northern Great Tit Большая синица 5
Spießbekassine Pintail Snipe Азиатский бекас 5
Gelbbrauenammer Yellow-browed Bunting Желтобровая овсянка 5
Gebirgsstelze Grey Wagtail Горная трясогузка 5
Lasurmeise Azure Tit Князек 4
Braunschnäpper Asian Brown Flycatcher Ширококлювая мухоловка 4
Goldschnäpper Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Желтоспинная мухоловка 3
Mandschurendommel Schrenck´s Bittern Амурский волчок 3
Pallasammer Pallas´s Bunting Полярная овсянка 3
Amurdrossel Grey-backed Thrush Сизый дрозд 3
Dschungelnachtschwalbe Jungle Nightjar Большой козодой 3
Ussurilaubsänger Pale-legged Leaf-warbler Бледноногая пеночка 2
Rauchschwalbe Barn Swallow Деревенская ласточка 2
Azurelster Asian Azure-winged Magpie Голубая сорока 2
Orientturteltaube Oriental Turtle-dove Большая горлица 2
Bergfink Brambling Юрок 2
Blaunachtigall Siberian Blue Robin Синий соловей 2
Eisvogel Common Kingfisher Обыкновенный зимородок 1
Sumpfmeise Marsh Tit Черноголовая гаичка 1
Meisengimpel Long-tailed Rosefinch Урагус 1
Spornpieper Richard´s Pipit Степной конек 1
Rohrammer Reed Bunting Камышовая овсянка 1
Japanwachtel Japanese Quail Японский перепел 1
Bartlaubsänger Radde´s Warbler Толстоклювая пеночка 1
Kuckuck Common Cuckoo Обыкновенная кукушка 1
Fahldrossel Pale Thrush Бледный дрозд 1

Monday, August 18, 2014

ABP 2014: Week 4

watching birds with the participants of our Bird Ecology Summer School © Julia Schröder
What a week! Even if its still mid-August, we already trapped the seasons 1000th bird. Migration at its best, and almost no rain or wind throughout the week! Perfect conditions also for our Bird Ecology Summer School. On Tuesday, 21 children between 8 and 15 years from different parts of the Amur region came to us in the Park. During five days they learned about bird ecology, migration, identification and nature conservation. All of them were highly motivated, and so they came usually already before breakfast to the ringing station, to see what is new. It was great to work with them. Big thanks to the Park´s interim director Svetlana Yakovenko for the organisation, the Russian teachers Natalia Andreeva, Tatiana Evgenina and Natalia Alexandrovna and all the helpers which made all this possible. Special thanks to Juliana Nefjodowa, who was busy in translating to Russian, English and German all day long. On the last morning the summer school ended with a birdrace, when the children had to identify as much bird species as possible within one hour around Muraviovka Park´s headquarter. Together with one us the three teams recognized 39 species - a good sign, that the participants learned a lot about the threatened diversity in the Amur region. For most of them this week was also the first contact with foreigners, and so we had the feeling that these days contributed also to intercutural understanding and tolerance. If we will find financial support, we will organize such a summer school again next year.
group pic with our 1000th bird - a spectacular Baillon´s Crake © Wieland Heim
the face-to-face contact with the birds in our ringing station was most impressing for the children © Julia Schröder
drawing bird pictures from the field guide © Julia Schröder
Susi´s self-made bird memory game: you should not only remember where the right card was hidden... © Julia Schröder
...but also which tail and wing fits to which bird! © Julia Schröder
a view abroad: Laszlo is telling about birds and nature in his homecountry Hungary, while Juliana is translating © Wieland Heim
at the end every participant received a certificate signed by Svetlana Yakovenko as the Park´s director and me as the ABP´s coordinator © Julia Schröder
a great week with a great group © Julia Schröder
But the children were not the only visitors during these days: on Wednesday many people came to the Park, together with General Muravyov-Amurskys descendant. Nikolay Nikolayevich Muravyov-Amursky played a major role in the expansion of the Russian empire along the Amur river, and the village Muraviovka and so also the Park was named after him. 
One of the visitors brought us an unlucky Amur Falcon - just fledged, the bird was hitten by a car and all wing-feathers are broken. We will feed this bird until we will find somebody who could take care of it until are feathers are renewed. If you have any ideas who could help, please write us!

some of the visitors that came with Muravyov-Amurskys descendant © Wieland Heim
the migration of the Amur Falcon and the threats along that way was one central topic in our summer school © Friedrich Eidam
Julia is feeding the Amur Falcon chick with insects © Wieland Heim
During all these activities we were still busy with checking our mist-nets every hour all day and night. The nocturnal migration of the Siberian Rubythroats starts slowly, while Thick-billed Warblers and Pallas´s Grasshopper-warblers are still the most common species. The species diversity is extremely high now, since we trapped already many migrants from the far north like the Arctic Warbler but also observed still several of the summer birds, like Black-naped Oriole, White-throated Needletail and Gray´s Warbler. Nice was also a family of Azure Tits - this species was only a winter visitor during the last years but has bred at the Park in 2014.

this years first Grey Nightjar © Julia Schröder
and the first Baillon´s Crake, a juvenile © Friedrich Eidam
migration of the wagtails has started, here a juvenile Eastern Yellow Wagtail - probably taivana © Friedrich Eidam
juvenile Asian Brown Flycatcher © Julia Schröder
a beautiful misty morning © Julia Schröder
a juvenile Siberian Bush-warbler davidi - 4th record for Muraviovka Park © Wieland Heim
while the local breeders were not seen since the end of July, some Yellow-breasted Buntings are now migrating through © Wieland Heim
an aberrant Pallas´s Grasshopper-warbler with complete yellow bill and legs (r) with a normal colored bird (l) © Wieland Heim
busy with birds © Wieland Heim
While writing this, I´m already in Japan to take part at the International Ornithological Congress, where I will be talking about some of the ABP´s results, while my team will continue the field work. I left the Park with the children on Saturday - but my bus from Blago to Khabarovsk was cancelled after hours of waiting. Once again, all you need in Russia are good contacts. And so I called a friend, who called a friend, who called a friend who was ready to drive me all the way to the Khabarovsk airport. After a non-stop over-night 11-hours-drive I reached my plane to Tokyo - thank you, Vitja!

Tokyo Narita Airport, southern part © Wieland Heim

//Wieland

11.08.-17.08.2014, Total traps: 674 birds out of 50 species
Dickschnabel-Rohrsänger Thick-billed Warbler Толстоклювая камышевка 198
Streifenschwirl Pallas´s Grasshopper-warbler Певчий сверчок 63
Brauenrohrsänger Black-browed Reed-warbler Чернобровая камышевка 55
Gelbbrauen-Laubsänger Yellow-browed Warbler Пеночка-зарничка 42
Braunwürger Brown Shrike Сибирский жулан 33
Dunkellaubsänger Dusky Warbler Бурая пеночка 33
Rubinkehlchen Siberian Rubythroat Соловей-красношейка 22
Wanderlaubsänger Arctic Warbler Пеночка-таловка 22
Maskenammer Black-faced Bunting Седоголовая овсянка 19
Feldsperling Eurasian Tree Sparrow Полевой воробей 17
Kohlmeise Northern Great Tit Большая синица 16
Spießbekassine Pintail Snipe Азиатский бекас 13
Eisvogel Common Kingfisher Обыкновенный зимородок 10
Karmingimpel Common Rosefinch Обыкновенная чечевица 10
Ussurilaubsänger Pale-legged Leaf-warbler Бледноногая пеночка 10
Lasurmeise Azure Tit Князек 8
Schwarzkehlchen Common Stonechat Черноголовый чекан 8
Sumpfmeise Marsh Tit Черноголовая гаичка 8
Middendorff-Laubsänger Two-barred Warbler Двупоясковая пеночка 7
Zwergschnäpper Red-breasted Flycatcher Восточная малая мухоловка 7
Goldschnäpper Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Желтоспинная мухоловка 6
Mandschurenammmer Ochre-rumped Bunting Рыжешейная овсянка 6
Braunschnäpper Asian Brown Flycatcher Ширококлювая мухоловка 5
Chinarohrsänger Oriental Reed-warbler Восточная дроздовидная камышевка 5
Rauchschwalbe Barn Swallow Деревенская ласточка 5
Rötelammer Chestnut Bunting Рыжая овсянка 4
Wendehals Eurasian Wryneck Вертишейка 4
Gelbbrauenammer Yellow-browed Bunting Желтобровая овсянка 3
Mandschurendommel Schrenck´s Bittern Амурский волчок 3
Meisengimpel Long-tailed Rosefinch Урагус 3
Strichelschwirl Lanceolated Warbler Пятнистый сверчок 3
Waldohreule Northern Long-eared Owl Ушастая сова 3
Azurelster Asian Azure-winged Magpie Голубая сорока 2
Feldlerche Eurasian Skylark Полевой жаворонок 2
Gebirgsstelze Grey Wagtail Горная трясогузка 2
Pallasammer Pallas´s Bunting Полярная овсянка 2
Weidenammer Yellow-breasted Bunting Дубровник 2
Amurdrossel Grey-backed Thrush Сизый дрозд 1
Amurfalke Amur Falcon Амурский кобчик 1
Davidbuschsänger Siberian Bush-warbler Малая пестрогрудка 1
Dschungelnachtschwalbe Jungle Nightjar Большой козодой 1
Flussuferläufer Common Sandpiper Перевозчик 1
Habicht Northern Goshawk Тетеревятник 1
Orient-Zwergohreule Oriental Scops-owl Восточная совка 1
Orientturteltaube Oriental Turtle-dove Большая горлица 1
Riesenschwirl Gray´s Warbler Таежный сверчок 1
Schafstelze Yellow Wagtail Жёлтая трясогузка 1
Sperber Eurasian Sparrowhawk Перепелятник 1
Spornpieper Richard´s Pipit Степной конек 1
Zwergsumpfhuhn Baillon´s Crake Погоныш-крошка 1