Secrets of the Sociable lapwing migration slowly unfolding
August 2011. Birdlife International scientists monitoring migrating Sociable Lapwings in the heart of the Great Steppe have recently discovered the largest single flock seen in Kazakhstan since 1939.
The study team from BirdLife's Kazakhstan Affiliate ACBK who, with support from RSPB (BirdLife in the UK), are conducting breeding research and migration monitoring around Korgalzhyn, in central Kazakhstan, found the record flock of more than 500 birds on August 16th - at Arykty - about 35 km east of their main study site.
"Our autumn migration monitoring kicked of with a bang when we located a huge flock of Sociable Lapwings at Arykty", reported ACBK project leader Ruslan Urazaliyev. "It is often quite difficult to accurately assess the size of an active flock but during my first count I recorded 523 birds and a little later my colleague Timur, who was watching from another viewpoint, estimated that by then it probably contained more than 650 individuals!"
Data gathered in previous years indicates that many local breeders from around Korgalzhyn depart during July. It is therefore most likely that the majority of the birds in this record flock had originated from breeding sites further east in the Steppe and had joined the few remaining juvenile Sociable Lapwings that had hatched locally. The site at Arykty is now regarded as a regular staging site for migrating Sociable Lapwings and sizeable post-breeding flocks have been recorded there in July and August for the past six years. Maximum previous counts at Arykty were 273 birds in 2006, 98 in 2007, 261 in 2008, 400 in 2009 and 345 in 2010.
Migrate through Kazakhstan
Until very recently the origin of these migrating birds was uncertain but last year it was confirmed that Sociable Lapwings from more eastern areas of the Steppe pass west through central Kazakhstan.
This discovery was made when Raushan - a bird satellite-tagged on her nest near Kanterlau (in Eastern Kazakhstan) - was subsequently located close to the main study site on September 14th, 2010. At that point she had moved some 600km west of her breeding site to just north east of Lake Tengiz near Tyngylykty.
Ringed birds
Despite around 100 birds being marked with colour rings in the Central Kazakhstan area this year, only two birds in the flock at Arykty were seen to be colour ringed. One of these birds was positively identified and carried the colour sequence orange, blue, orange, orange - confirming it was ringed as a chick on June 5th at Korgalzhyn.
You can read more about the four Sociable Lapwings we are satellite tracking this autumn by going to the Amazing Journey website
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sociable-lapwing-flock.html
Showing posts with label social lapwings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social lapwings. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Thursday, November 11, 2010
New Sociable lapwing staging post discovered
Birds fly through Turkey on their way to India
November 2010: New staging posts on the sociable lapwings migration from the breeding grounds of Kazakhstan to India have been found by Turkish researchers from Doga Dernegi (BirdLife in Turkey), who have been carefully monitoring the birds' progress.
At the end of September, DD staff found two flocks of 30 birds at a known staging site on the Erzurum Plain and a large flock of nearly 500 had reached another well-known stopover, Ceylanpinar near the Syrian border on their way south from their breeding grounds in Kazakhstan.
The RSPB, which has also been following the birds' progress, had a satellite transmission from Erzhan, one of nine tagged sociable lapwings, indicating it was near Patnos in central Turkey. However, it was thought he was simply passing through, as on-the-ground researchers could find no flocks when they scoured the area.
Only five sociable lapwings were found near Patnos during the next few days, but as the searches widened to Malazgirt and Bulanlik Plain, a flock of 101 was discovered, and just a day later a large flock of 554 were also found nearby - the largest gathering of migrating sociable lapwings encountered so far this autumn. Erzhan was not part of the flock, but he had pointed the way, helping DD discover another important new staging site in eastern Turkey.
Two routes to India rather than one?
With no further reports of lapwings from the Mus Plain during the following two weeks, the birds had been thought to have passed south through a central corridor in Turkey but then two further groups were found, the first in Ceylanpinar as expected and the other at a site in the Akcakale Plain in the north east, which has previously been known only as a spring migration staging site.
Now researchers are hypothsising that the birds may take two distinct routes through Turkey and are hoping to confirm this in due course. DD researchers hypothesize that there might be two distinct routes taken by Sociable Lapwings moving through Turkey which we hope to bring you further news about, if this can be established, in due course.
The first birds to be seen arrive at their final destination, were four sociable lapwings photographed by enthusiast Surat Singh Poonia at the Tal Chhapar WildLife Sanctuary in Rajasthan at the end of October.
As well as being the first record this year of sociable lapwings returning to winter in India it is also the first time sociable lapwings have been seen at the site since 1998.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sociable-lapwing929.html
November 2010: New staging posts on the sociable lapwings migration from the breeding grounds of Kazakhstan to India have been found by Turkish researchers from Doga Dernegi (BirdLife in Turkey), who have been carefully monitoring the birds' progress.
At the end of September, DD staff found two flocks of 30 birds at a known staging site on the Erzurum Plain and a large flock of nearly 500 had reached another well-known stopover, Ceylanpinar near the Syrian border on their way south from their breeding grounds in Kazakhstan.
The RSPB, which has also been following the birds' progress, had a satellite transmission from Erzhan, one of nine tagged sociable lapwings, indicating it was near Patnos in central Turkey. However, it was thought he was simply passing through, as on-the-ground researchers could find no flocks when they scoured the area.
Only five sociable lapwings were found near Patnos during the next few days, but as the searches widened to Malazgirt and Bulanlik Plain, a flock of 101 was discovered, and just a day later a large flock of 554 were also found nearby - the largest gathering of migrating sociable lapwings encountered so far this autumn. Erzhan was not part of the flock, but he had pointed the way, helping DD discover another important new staging site in eastern Turkey.
Two routes to India rather than one?
With no further reports of lapwings from the Mus Plain during the following two weeks, the birds had been thought to have passed south through a central corridor in Turkey but then two further groups were found, the first in Ceylanpinar as expected and the other at a site in the Akcakale Plain in the north east, which has previously been known only as a spring migration staging site.
Now researchers are hypothsising that the birds may take two distinct routes through Turkey and are hoping to confirm this in due course. DD researchers hypothesize that there might be two distinct routes taken by Sociable Lapwings moving through Turkey which we hope to bring you further news about, if this can be established, in due course.
The first birds to be seen arrive at their final destination, were four sociable lapwings photographed by enthusiast Surat Singh Poonia at the Tal Chhapar WildLife Sanctuary in Rajasthan at the end of October.
As well as being the first record this year of sociable lapwings returning to winter in India it is also the first time sociable lapwings have been seen at the site since 1998.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sociable-lapwing929.html
New Sociable lapwing staging post discovered
Birds fly through Turkey on their way to India
November 2010: New staging posts on the sociable lapwings migration from the breeding grounds of Kazakhstan to India have been found by Turkish researchers from Doga Dernegi (BirdLife in Turkey), who have been carefully monitoring the birds' progress.
At the end of September, DD staff found two flocks of 30 birds at a known staging site on the Erzurum Plain and a large flock of nearly 500 had reached another well-known stopover, Ceylanpinar near the Syrian border on their way south from their breeding grounds in Kazakhstan.
The RSPB, which has also been following the birds' progress, had a satellite transmission from Erzhan, one of nine tagged sociable lapwings, indicating it was near Patnos in central Turkey. However, it was thought he was simply passing through, as on-the-ground researchers could find no flocks when they scoured the area.
Only five sociable lapwings were found near Patnos during the next few days, but as the searches widened to Malazgirt and Bulanlik Plain, a flock of 101 was discovered, and just a day later a large flock of 554 were also found nearby - the largest gathering of migrating sociable lapwings encountered so far this autumn. Erzhan was not part of the flock, but he had pointed the way, helping DD discover another important new staging site in eastern Turkey.
Two routes to India rather than one?
With no further reports of lapwings from the Mus Plain during the following two weeks, the birds had been thought to have passed south through a central corridor in Turkey but then two further groups were found, the first in Ceylanpinar as expected and the other at a site in the Akcakale Plain in the north east, which has previously been known only as a spring migration staging site.
Now researchers are hypothsising that the birds may take two distinct routes through Turkey and are hoping to confirm this in due course. DD researchers hypothesize that there might be two distinct routes taken by Sociable Lapwings moving through Turkey which we hope to bring you further news about, if this can be established, in due course.
The first birds to be seen arrive at their final destination, were four sociable lapwings photographed by enthusiast Surat Singh Poonia at the Tal Chhapar WildLife Sanctuary in Rajasthan at the end of October.
As well as being the first record this year of sociable lapwings returning to winter in India it is also the first time sociable lapwings have been seen at the site since 1998.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sociable-lapwing929.html
November 2010: New staging posts on the sociable lapwings migration from the breeding grounds of Kazakhstan to India have been found by Turkish researchers from Doga Dernegi (BirdLife in Turkey), who have been carefully monitoring the birds' progress.
At the end of September, DD staff found two flocks of 30 birds at a known staging site on the Erzurum Plain and a large flock of nearly 500 had reached another well-known stopover, Ceylanpinar near the Syrian border on their way south from their breeding grounds in Kazakhstan.
The RSPB, which has also been following the birds' progress, had a satellite transmission from Erzhan, one of nine tagged sociable lapwings, indicating it was near Patnos in central Turkey. However, it was thought he was simply passing through, as on-the-ground researchers could find no flocks when they scoured the area.
Only five sociable lapwings were found near Patnos during the next few days, but as the searches widened to Malazgirt and Bulanlik Plain, a flock of 101 was discovered, and just a day later a large flock of 554 were also found nearby - the largest gathering of migrating sociable lapwings encountered so far this autumn. Erzhan was not part of the flock, but he had pointed the way, helping DD discover another important new staging site in eastern Turkey.
Two routes to India rather than one?
With no further reports of lapwings from the Mus Plain during the following two weeks, the birds had been thought to have passed south through a central corridor in Turkey but then two further groups were found, the first in Ceylanpinar as expected and the other at a site in the Akcakale Plain in the north east, which has previously been known only as a spring migration staging site.
Now researchers are hypothsising that the birds may take two distinct routes through Turkey and are hoping to confirm this in due course. DD researchers hypothesize that there might be two distinct routes taken by Sociable Lapwings moving through Turkey which we hope to bring you further news about, if this can be established, in due course.
The first birds to be seen arrive at their final destination, were four sociable lapwings photographed by enthusiast Surat Singh Poonia at the Tal Chhapar WildLife Sanctuary in Rajasthan at the end of October.
As well as being the first record this year of sociable lapwings returning to winter in India it is also the first time sociable lapwings have been seen at the site since 1998.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sociable-lapwing929.html
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