SUMMING-UP OF THE 2015 FIELD SURVEY OF THE BREEDING BIOLOGY AND MORPHOLOGY OF THE SEMI-COLLARED FLYCTACHER

Posted on January 14, 2016

By Johan Träff
This year (2015) the field research season lasted from March 20 to mid-June. During this period 220 nest-boxes allocated in five plots were used in the Goritsa Forest area in the region of Varna. The results are as follows:

• Nestboxes – 218 boxes were used during the season (during the winter 12 had disappeared but they were replaced with new ones before the breeding started – Another two (empty) boxes disappeared during the season).

• Breeding attempts – only 68 breeding attempts were recorded. This is due to migration problems for the flycatchers when they should pass over the Mediterranean Sea area and a large-scale predator attack (from Dormice, Martens and Esculapian Snakes). The predators implemented 107 attacks and killed 12 males and 19 females – even 16 Blue Tits’, 11 Great Tits’ and 1 Nuthatch’s nest were predated.
• Ringing – 57 adult flycatchers (29 males and 28 females) and 126 chicks were ringed. 46 formerly ringed birds were recovered (26 males and 20 females). Another 17 birds ringed as chicks during earlier years (2012-2014) were recovered (10 males and 7 females).
• Totals – during seasonс 2012-2015, 252 adult birds have been ringed altogether (120 males and 132 females). Of these, 127 have been recovered more than one season (71 males and 56 females). 40 birds ringed as chicks has been recovered as 2CY+ birds in the area (22 males and 18 females).
• Biometry – biometric data were gathered from 103 adult birds.
• Geolocators – 7 flycatchers with geolocaters attached during 2014 were recovered – 6 of them with good data. Another set of 50 geolocators were attached (28 males and 22 females – one female with geolocator was killed by a Marten during the feeding period).

The survey continues in 2016. Volunteers are welcome!