{"id":40897,"date":"2023-12-18T09:30:40","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T07:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/this-years-was-the-best-chituc-ringing-camp-ever\/"},"modified":"2023-12-18T09:44:04","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T07:44:04","slug":"this-years-was-the-best-chituc-ringing-camp-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/en\/this-years-was-the-best-chituc-ringing-camp-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"This year&#8217;s was the best Chituc ringing camp ever!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year we celebrated the tenth consecutive autumn ringing in Chituc Spit by breaking every previously set <strong>record<\/strong>! 2023, much like 2014 and 2019, was marked by a strong influx of blue tits (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cyanistes caeruleus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). These huge flocks of blue tits most likely gather from all parts of Eastern Europe to winter in the reed beds of the Danube Delta. Due to this influx, all our previous ringing records have been broken:<\/span><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Most birds ringed in one day<\/strong>: 1106, significantly more than the previous record of 876 birds set on 20 October 2019.<\/span><\/li>\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the best week this year we marked 4376 birds; the previous weekly <strong>record<\/strong> was 4231 birds.<\/span><\/li>\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Per total, we marked 22848 birds this year at the ringing camp, 15% more than the previous<strong> record<\/strong>, set in 2019.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average number of birds ringed in previous years predicts to some extent how many birds we can expect in the same period in the following year (Fig. 1). In addition to the already mentioned blue tit, we marked significantly more <strong>bearded reedlings<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Panurus biarmicus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), <strong>reed buntings<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emberiza schoeniclus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and <strong>goldcrests<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regulus regulus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). In contrast, we ringed fewer <strong>song thrushes<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turdus philomelos<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), <strong>willow warblers<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phylloscopus trochilus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), <strong>red-backed shrikes<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lanius collurio<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and<strong> redstarts<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phoenicurus phoenicurus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig1-1024x478.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"478\" src=\"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig1-1024x478.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig1-1024x478.png 1024w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig1-600x280.png 600w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig1-300x140.png 300w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig1-768x359.png 768w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig1-1536x717.png 1536w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig1-2048x956.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fig. 1. The average of the more frequently caught species in previous years (orange bar) and the amount of individuals ringed in 2023 (red bar). It can be seen that we caught much more of some species this year than we expected based on the experience of previous years.<\/figcaption><\/figure><p><strong>Long-term trends<\/strong><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The standardised collection of medium and long-term data allows for the analysis of very slow ecological processes. With each new year added to the data series built up over the last 10 years, we get a clearer picture of population change and changes in the migration periods of individual species. Thus, analysis of the data collected so far indicates that some of the more common species have become more abundant or less abundant over the years (Fig. 2.). For example, we can see that on a yearly basis, we have ringed more and more chiffchaffs (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phylloscopus collybita<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> = 0.52) and less and less kingfishers (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alcedo atthis<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> = 0.53) and red-backed shrikes (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lanius collurio<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> = 0.48). The R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> value is a coefficient which indicates how well the points (i.e., the number of individuals ringed per year) fit the trendline marked in blue. The closer the R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> value is to 1, the more accurate the trend indicated by the blue line. Most species have a very low R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> value, which may indicate a large fluctuation in the number of individuals marked per year. For these species, ten years of ringing and such a simplistic statistical analysis are simply not sufficient to identify positive, negative, or neutral trends.<\/span><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig2-1024x473.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig2-1024x473.png 1024w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig2-600x277.png 600w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig2-300x138.png 300w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig2-768x354.png 768w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig2.png 1300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fig. 2. Annual variation in the number of individuals ringed for several species. The R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> value indicates the extent to which the annual catch is aligned with the trendline in blue. The closer the R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> value is to 1, the more accurate the blue line is.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><p><strong>Rare species caught in 2023<\/strong><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2023 we ringed birds belonging to 110 unique species and, as reported previously, this year was also a great year for rarities (Fig. 3.). Some of the rare species, such as the North <strong>American ovenbird<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seiurus aurocapillus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), are accidentally lost and have slim chances of survival. However, rare species can pioneer new migration routes: the <strong>red-flanked bluetail<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tarsiger cyanurus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) is rarely seen in Romania, but with the north-western expansion of its breeding range, it is likely to become more common during migration. Other rare species worth mentioning include <strong>Radde\u2019s warbler<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phylloscopus schwarzi<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, first sighting in Romania), <strong>Hume\u2019s warbler<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phylloscopus humei<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), <strong>dusky warbler<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phylloscopus fuscatus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), <strong>pine bunting<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emberiza leucocephala<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), <strong>little bunting<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emberiza pusilla<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and<strong> Eastern stonechat<\/strong> (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saxicola maura<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig3-1024x576.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig3-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig3-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig3-600x337.png 600w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig3-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig3-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig3-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/milvus.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chituc2023_Fig3-800x450.png 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fig. 3. a.) ovenbird (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seiurus aurocapillus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), b.) Radde\u2019s warbler (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phylloscopus schwarzi<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), c.) dusky warbler (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phylloscopus fuscatus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">),\u00a0 d.) pine bunting (Emberiza leucocephala),\u00a0 e.) red-flanked bluetail (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tarsiger cyanurus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), f.) Hume\u2019s warbler (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phylloscopus humei<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><p><b>Volunteers and sponsors<\/b>&#13;\n&#13;\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ringing activity requires ongoing funding: ring stocks need to be replenished regularly, damaged bird nets need to be replaced, and camp equipment need frequent repairs. Fortunately, as in previous years, a significant part of the running costs has been covered by our friends and supporters. This year, a significant number of nets were damaged by wild horses, therefore, we launched a fundraising campaign on the Galantom platform. 50 people supported the camp with a total of 8500 lei, which will be used to buy new nets. This year&#8217;s work at the ringing camp was undertaken by <strong>180 volunteers<\/strong>, without whom the camp would simply not exist. Our activities were supported financially and logistically by <strong>Jenica and Cornel Cotorogea<\/strong>, <strong>Lajos P\u00e1l<\/strong> and <strong>S.C. Softech S.R.L.<\/strong>, to whom we owe our gratitude. We thank the <strong>Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration<\/strong> for their excellent cooperation over the past decade and hope to continue to be their partners in the future.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year we celebrated the tenth consecutive autumn ringing in Chituc Spit by breaking every previously set record! 2023, much like 2014 and 2019, was marked by a strong influx of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). These huge flocks of blue tits most likely gather from all parts of Eastern Europe to winter in the reed 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