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Zawartość zarchiwizowana w dniu 2019-03-15

MOVEMENT OF WADER POPULATION IN WESTERN EUROPE

Cel

TO COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT THE RESTING AND BREEDING PLACES WADING BIRDS MIGRATING FOR THE ARCTIC TO THE EUROPEAN ESTUARIES.

LARGE NUMBERS OF WADING BIRDS (CHARADRII), MANY OF WHICH NEST IN THE ARCTIC, PASS THROUGH WESTERN EUROPEAN ESTUARIES IN AUTUMN AND SPRING, OFTEN PAUSING TO MOULT INTO AND OUT OF BREEDING PLUMAGE AND/OR TO LAY DOWN FAT AS FUEL FOR ONWARD MOVEMENT.
CONSIDERABLE NUMBERS ALSO WINTER IN EUROPE, PARTICULARLY ON THE COASTS AND ESTUARIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES AND THE NETHERLANDS. IT IS KNOWN THAT MOVEMENTS BETWEEN ESTUARIES OCCUR DURING THE COURSE OF A SINGLE WINTER IN AT LEAST SOME SPECIES, BUT THE SCALE OF THESE MOVEMENTS HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED.

MANY EUROPEAN ESTUARIES ARE THREATENED WITH DEVELOPMENTS INVOLVING LOSS OF INTERTIDAL LAND, THE MAJOR FEEDING HABITAT FOR WADERS. IN ORDER TO PLAN SCIENTIFICALLY FOR THE FUTURE CONSERVATION OF THE VARIOUS SPECIES AND BREEDING POPULATIONS, IT IS NECESSARY TO IDENTIFY THE NETWORK OF ESTUARIES EACH USES, AT EACH STAGE OF ITS LIFE CYCLE. IT IS ALSO NECESSARY TO FIND OUT WHY INDIVIDUAL BIRDS USE A SEQUENCE OF ESTUARIES, AND WHAT DETERMINES THE NUMBERS OF A SPECIES FOUND ON A PARTICULAR ESTUARY AT A PARTICULAR SEASON.

WORK WAS BEGUN IN SUMMER 1980. CONTINUATION FOR THE PERIOD 1982-83 WILL ENABLE I) THE RESULTS FROM OBSERVATIONS IN LATE WINTER AND SPRING 1982 (OFTHE BIRDS TO BE COLOUR DYED IN AUTUMN 1982) TO BE ASSEMBLED AND ANALYSED, AND II) THE NECESSARY EXTENSION OF THE PROJECT TO BE MADE, TO INCLUDE MARKING IN AUTUMN AND WINTER 1982 OF BIRDS ON ESTUARIES WHERE THEY HAVE ARRIVED AFTER MOULTING ELSEWHERE, AND TO TRACE THE EXTENT OF MOVEMENT BETWEEN SUCH ESTUARIES DURING THE LATE WINTER AND SPRING (OF 1983), AGAIN THE AID OF THE OBSERVER NETWORK. IT IS FORESEEN TO CONTINUE INTENSIVE STUDIES OF WADERS ON THE TEES ESTUARY, THE MAIN AIMS ARE TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR YEAR-TO-YEAR SURVIVAL RATES OF FIVE SPECIES (TO DETERMINE EFFECTS OF SEVERE AND MILD WINTERS ON MORTALITY),AND TO RELATE MOVEMENTS OF SPECIES INTO AND OUT OF THE ESTUARY TO I) CHANGESIN THE DENSITY AND AVAILABILITY OF THEIR FOOD AND II) CHANGES IN SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, ESPECIALLY TERRITORIALITY. THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FOOD RESOURCES, SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND DENSITY (AND THEREFORE NUMBERS) OF EACH BIRD SPECIES ON THE ESTUARY ARE ALSO BEING EXAMINED.

ON THE TEES ESTUARY, DATA FROM GREY PLOVER HAVE INDICATED DEFENCE OF TERRITORIES BY ABOUT 40% OF BIRDS PRESENT IN MID-WINTER, THUS LIMITING BIRD DENSITY ON SOME PARTS OF THE ESTUARY. UNCERTAINTIES REMAIN REGARDING THE BEHAVIOUR OF BIRDS AT NIGHT, SINCE FOOD INTAKE MAY BE AS HIGH BY NIGHT AS BY DAY AND THEREFORE VERY IMPORTANT FOR SURVIVAL IN BAD WEATHER.

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UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM
Wkład UE
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Old Shire Hall, Old Elvet
DH1 3HP DURHAM
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