The Migration Study Group - Monday, February 2nd, 2009
Look out for spring!
Children all over Europe observe first arrivals of migratory birds.
Yearly Spring Alive! event launched
Warszaw (Poland), February 1st, 2009 – Today, the annual Spring Alive event [1] will be launched by the Partnership of BirdLife International [2] in Europe. ‘Spring Alive’ invites children of the age of 8-12 to enjoy and marvel at the return of some of the most fascinating migratory birds to Europe. Through the Spring Alive website [3], children from all over Europe are asked to communicate their first sightings of the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Common Swift (Common Swift) and Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus).
Additionally by attracting and uniting European children and their relatives in experiencing nature, Spring Alive aims at contributing to citizen science. Through the observations which the children and/or their teachers communicate through the Spring Alive website, scientists hope to see whether these four bird species arrive earlier in Europe than previously, thus indicating an increase in temperature in European countries. That way, Spring Alive could contribute to raising awareness for climate change amongst Europe’s youth.
“Thanks to the observations of our young participants, we will try to determine, how climate change is influencing the spring arrivals of birds” – says Magdalena Chrzanowska, the European Coordinator of the event – “As every year, we also invite parents and teachers to participate in Spring Alive. All they need to do is to register their first sightings of the birds from four Spring Alive bird species on
www.springalive.net. Last year our initiative collected over 56 000 observations. Thanks to the people participating in Spring Alive we were able to say that in 2008 spring arrived slightly earlier than in previous years. Still, we need to collect more data to achieve more accurate results and observe long term tendencies.” - explains Ms Chrzanowska.
This year Spring Alive hopes to reach for as many European families as possible to share the beauty and fascination of spring bird migrations. Lets celebrate together the arrival of spring!
Contact:
Gunter De Smet
Spring Alive Officer
LPO
Herlinde Herpoel
Media & Communication Manager
BirdLife International
+32 494 542 844
Photo: OTOP archives.
[1] Spring Alive is a pan-European project designed to promote children’s interest in nature and its conservation through the arrival of spring. The core component of Spring Alive is a mass-participation web-based project that is implemented in most European countries. Citizens, but specifically children and families, are encouraged to observe and record the arrival of migratory bird species each year .
[2] BirdLife International is a global alliance of conservation organisations working in more than 100 countries and territories that, together, are the leading authority on the status of birds, their habitats and the issues and problems affecting them.
http://europe.birdlife.org
Document to download : 
2009_photo-3823.jpg
posted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
The Migration Study Group - Thursday, January 29th, 2009
Take action against the unprecedented onslaught on raptors in Lower Austria!
Buzzards and Goshawks are open to persecution in Lower Austria! The provincial government of Lower Austria has recently issued a decree allowing hunters to shoot 200 Common Buzzards and 40 Goshawks until January 31st. Since there is no adequate control, this is likely to result in the erroneus shooting of endangered raptors like Saker Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Rough-legged Buzzard and Red Kite, all of which occur in substantial numbers in Lower Austria. There may be even casualities among White-tailed and Eastern Imperial Eagles.
Take action against this unprecedented onslaught on raptors! Buzzards and Goshawks must not fall prey to hunters interests - Sign our petition to the provincial government of Lower Austria for the immediate withdrawal of the scandalous decree here:
www.wwf.at/greifvogelpetition
and help to ensure that EU-law protecting raptors is properly enforced in Austria!
posted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
The Migration Study Group - Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
*Spring count down*
There are only a few days left till the beginning of a new Spring Alive season! From the 1st February children all around Europe will join again in observing and recording arrivals of four migratory bird species: White Stork, Barn Swallow, Common Swift and Common Cuckoo. So be ready and start looking for the spring messengers!
Spring Alive is an initiative from BirdLife International. LPO is the French BirdLife representative.
posted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
The Migration Study Group - Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
The annual migration survey started yesterday at col de l'Escrinet.
The daily migration survey at col de l'Escrinet, Ardèche, started yesterday (19th January). Philippe Descollonge will be the migration watcher, assisted by two other salaried birders. The spring survey will last until 31st May 2009. In previous years, we have collected some evidence that thrush migration already starts in the 3rd decade of January. This is important for the closure of the hunting season.
Marie Paule de Thiersant (CORA)
posted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
The Migration Study Group - Monday, January 19th, 2009
Electronic tags have offered an insight into the mysteries of the 20,000km migration of Manx shearwaters.
posted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
The Migration Study Group - Friday, January 16th, 2009
Might Migrating Birds Have Infected The Svalbard Arctic Fox With Parasites?
The cat is the main host for Toxoplasma and spreads the infection in its droppings. Previous research has shown that isolated island groups without cats are in reality free of the parasite. New research suggests that migratory birds are a probable source of infection for the Arctic fox population on Svalbard (the Spitsbergen archipelago).
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222113524.htm
posted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
The Migration Study Group - Thursday, January 15th, 2009
Sign the petition to save the forest in the marshes of Tanoé, Ivory Coast
"Forêt des Marais Tanoé" (FMT), is one of the last forest remnants in extreme southeastern Ivory Coast. The forest is one of the major sites for the protection of primates in West Africa, including rare and local species such as Miss Waldron's Red Colobus(
Piliocolobus badius waldronae), the Roloway Monkey (
Cercopithecus diana roloway) and White-collared Mangabey (
Cercocebus atys lunulatus), the most endangered monkey species in West Africa. The forest also has several little known endemic plants and is lacking any legal protection. The logging of the forest stopped after massive protest. PALMCI and UNILEVER, the major shareholders have promised not to cut down any more trees until the environmental impact study validates the PALMCI project. More support is always welcome, so please sign :
www.manifeste-fmt.org If you have any questions, please contact us :
info@manifeste-fmt.orgposted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
The Migration Study Group - Monday, January 5th, 2009
The Annual Conference of International Wader Study Group will take place 18 - 21 September 2009 in The Netherlands (island of Texel).
Wader/shorebird enthusiasts from all over the world are cordially invited to join this conference.
For further information please visit the group's website: www.waderstudygroup.org
posted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
The Migration Study Group - Monday, January 5th, 2009
Dusky Thrush in Belgium: finally a living bird!
A Dusky Thrush Turdus naumanni eunomus was discovered at Erezée, province of Luxembourg, Belgium on 3 Jan. 2009. The next three days, it was seen by many birders. There were also six Waxwings at the same site. This is the first field observation of a Dusky Thrush in Belgium. All previous records concerned trapped and killed birds: 1) 1845 Ardennes (market of Namur); 2) ca. 15 Oct. 1853 Brussels (in a poultry shop); 3) 5 Nov. 1905 Hastière (Namur); 4) Nov. 1906 Seloignes (Hainaut); 5) 11 Nov. 1956 Beerse (Antwerp). In all cases, these thrushes were killed and sold for consumption.
A captured bird on 1 nov. 1970 at Wingene (West Flanders) - published with a fairly good description (De Witte Spreeuwen 21,8: 501-502) has not yet been examined by the Belgian Rarities Committee (BAHC - CH).
Forbidden in Belgium since 1967, non selective noose trapping is still legal in France. (e.g. 60 hunters practised noose trapping in the village of Hargnies, near Givet in the French Ardennes in 1958. Each hunter used on average 4000 'collets' annually, totalling 240000 noose traps on the territory of a single small municipality...)
In France, there are two accepted records of Dusky Thrush since 1981: 23 Nov. 1983 Tardinghen (62) and 21 Jan. 1994 Seyssel (74), as well as 2 records of individuals sharing characters of both naumanni and eunomus: 16 Nov. 1997 Ginasservis (83) et 27 Oct. 1999 Crac'h (56).
For additional information, visit : www.waarnemingen.be
For some nice pictures, see: www.birdimages.be
posted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
The Migration Study Group - Monday, December 29th, 2008
Juvenile Greater Spotted Eagle has found its wintering grounds
The juvenile Greater Spotted Eagle Tõnn, satellite-tracked from its Estonian nesting site, has discovered its wintering grounds: the El Hondo marshes, Alicante, Spain. (More information: http://www.looduskalender.ee/node/2219 )
posted by Gunter De Smet, edited by Anonyme
Sightings
Stats
