News from the bird ringing campaign

‘Over 600 Birds Captured During the First 10 Days of the Bird Ringing Campaign on Illa de l’Aire’

Curruca sarda ©SOM Menorca

This campaign, led by the Menorca Ornithological Society with the support of Menorca Preservation, aims to further advance the study of pre-nuptial migration on Illa de l’Aire

On 1 April, the first ringers arrived on Illa de l’Aire to kick off a new bird ringing campaign focused on the study of pre-nuptial migration, an initiative carried out by the Menorca Ornithological Society (SOM) with the support of Menorca Preservation.

The study: 30 years in the making and over 100,000 migratory birds ringed

Over the next 45 days, ringers and volunteers will take shifts to continuously monitor the 168 metres of mist nets set up at the station, recording and ringing the birds captured using this method. The study has been conducted annually since 1995, during the same period and using the same methodology. In these 30 years, more than 100,000 birds from over 120 different species have been ringed.

First rarity of the campaign: a Sardinian Warbler captured

On 5 April, SOM captured a Sardinian Warbler, marking only the ninth time this species has been caught since 1995. The Sardinian Warbler nests on Tyrrhenian islands, mainly Corsica and Sardinia. No sightings of this species had been recorded on Illa de l’Aire since 2018.

Other rare species captured: a Hawfinch

The first day of the campaign brought a surprise for the researchers with the capture of a Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes), a species of which only four individuals had previously been recorded on Illa de l’Aire — all in 2009.

A reunion with a Scopoli’s Shearwater ringed in 2018

Another highlight of these first days of the campaign was the capture of a Scopoli’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), originally ringed by the SOM team on Illa de l’Aire as a chick in 2018.

Partner organisations:

This year’s bird ringing campaign is funded by Menorca Preservation and IME-OBSAM, with the support of the Sant Lluís Town Council. MERAK Diving and the Mahón Maritime Club are collaborating in terms of transport, along with the invaluable support of the Balearic Port Authority.