SEMI-COLLARED FLYCATCHER IN THE GORITSA AREA 2014

Posted on September 15, 2014

Summing-up of the third field-season of the project (by Johan Träff)

This year (2014) the field research season lasted from March 25 to June 15. During this period 220 nest-boxes divided in five plots were used in the Goritsa Forest area in the region of Varna. Preliminary figures show that the boxes were used by about 120 breeding pairs of Semi-collared Flycatcher compared to 85 during 2013. This year the area was exposed to a really high rate of predation (~45%), by Forest Dormice, Martens, domestic and wild cats and Aesculapian Snakes.

The onset of the egg-laying’s during this season started on the 10th of April – 5 days earlier than the year before. This season 374 Semi-collared Flycatchers were ringed with Bulgarian rings, including all the nestlings which left the nest-boxes. 75 flycatchers, ringed 2012 and 2013, were recovered and controlled in the area.
Biometry – biometric data was gathered from 155 adult birds (84 ♂♂ and 71 ♀♀) – some of them measured after they had been killed by predators. All nestlings were measured at the ringing occasion.

In the period April 9 to 16 a Pre-Display-Catching session was implemented to get last years’ geolocaters back (before the predators). Of the six first geolocaters only three had worked. Later five more were recovered. During this season another 10 Swiss’ geolocaters were applied on adult flycatchers.