Recoveries by Condition for Whimbrel

Where the species is hunted (Russia, Denmark, France, Spain and also in the Gulf of Guinea) reooveries are mainly of dead birds, while recoveries on the breeding grounds (notably in Iceland) and also in W Africa are mainly of live birds. There is a progressive switch from mainly recoveries of dead birds before 1961 (79%) to 89% being live birds since 1991, largely due to field observations of colour-marked individuals (36%) and tracking (25%) – the latter creating also a large heterogeneity in the annual numbers of recoveries in the 2000s.

Annual Movements for Whimbrel

Most islandicus leave Iceland to fly to W Africa in a single oceanic flight with no stopover. Even juveniles fly nonstop in their first autumn migration. However, some birds migrate to the Atlantic coast of Europe, where they can stop, mostly in Aug. The spring migration is more concentrated, in Apr but generally takes longer on average, with groups stopping  in W Europe before moving to the breeding grounds - as seen form the peak of recoveries during the second half of Apr. The ringing data do not document a possible loop migration for Scandinavian or Russian birds, but the data are mainly driven by the ringing effort in countries of the Atlantic coast.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Whimbrel

Most encounters are of birds breeding in Iceland and islands off Scotland, where birds are present May-Jul. Some birds reach the African wintering grounds in Aug, although others, presumably phaeopus, stage in W Europe, e.g. the Atlantic coast of France. The first adults leave the breeding grounds at the end of Jun mostly Jul, with a peak of encounters during the first week of Aug. Apr records, mainly in France and the British Isles, are islandicus (Gunnarsson & Guðmundsson 2016) but also phaeopus en route to Scandinavia; they stage in S Scandinavia in May and arrive on breeding sites from May. There are few winter recoveries in Europe; most winter encounters are in W Africa (Aug-Apr) - mainly in Senegal and Guinea.

Recoveries by Condition for Common Greenshank

The recovery conditions are a balance of recaptures, colour ring reads and shot birds, with the classical shift from dead to live re-encounters and increase in numbers from 1950 to the current period.

Annual Movements for Common Greenshank

Tagged Scottish birds wintered in the British Isles and Western France, mainly along Irish coasts, and used short-term staging sites during both the southward and northward migrations (Summers et al. 2020). There is evidence for earlier spring migration after warmer winters, but autumn migration delay is not linked to climate (Anthes 2010).

Connectivity by Month by Region for Common Greenshank

Birds present in northern Scandinavia in May-July move to southern Scandinavia, the Wadden Sea and northern France in August-September, with recoveries on Mediterranean coasts in October, and records in Africa, but also southern Iberia and Italy, from November to March. Birds of the North-West region are absent from the continent only in May, though present further S and W from August to March.

Recoveries by Condition for Brent Goose

Most recoveries are readings of metal or colour rings. Pre-1960 all recoveries from shot birds. Hunting ceased latest in Denmark in 1972. Most ringing activities took place in 1980ies and 1990ies with activity concentrated during spring. Hence, most recoveries are from same period.

Annual Movements for Brent Goose

Wintering dark-bellied birds found furthest south in November through January, with movements from English and French coasts to Wadden Sea starting in February through April. Mass migration during the lasts days of May when winds are favourable through the Baltic to Arctic Russian staging sites and on to Siberian breeding sites in June. Autumn migration in September to Wadden Sea and on to UK and France in October. Svalbard recoveries very few but suggest movement of light-bellied birds from Denmark and Northumbria in April/May and back in September. Canadian breeders leave for Iceland end of August and September, main arrival in Ireland in October, spring migration to Iceland end April/May, on to Greenland and Canada in June.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Brent Goose

North-west region (UK, Ireland, Iceland) holds wintering birds from each of the three populations. Birds wintering in Ireland are connected to Greenland and in Canada in summer. Birds wintering in the Northeast tightly linked to wintering sites in Northern Denmark and found on Svalbard in summer, dark-bellied birds wintering in the Southwest connect to breeding sites in Siberia in summer. Connections to wintering sites in France almost absent. Birds wintering on the French coast connect straight to Siberian breeding grounds, or via the Wadden Sea in spring. Birds in the Dutch Wadden Sea in May are tightly connected to Siberia in summer, pointing to importance of the area as spring hub before migration. Pattern is somewhat biased as most ringing takes place in May in the Dutch Wadden Sea.

Recoveries by Condition for Corn Crake

There is a huge switch from mostly dead recoveries (>80%) before 1960 to nearly 90% of live recoveries after 1990, corresponding also to a huge increase in recovery numbers (after 1995).

Annual Movements for Corn Crake

The returns on breeding sites is visible from early May onwards, though singers continue to move in in June. The dispersal of the species is original, with some movements along the breeding season among suitable sites, often at distances above 50 km, hence the large amount of recoveries within a few hundred kilometres from the ringing site. Movements of British birds are attested by recoveries in adjacent France in August, while migration further south occurs mainly in September (Donaghy et al. 2011). Otherwise, there are some recoveries in the wintering sites, at distances of 6000-7000 km. The migration route is obviously via the eastern Mediterranean, to enter Africa mostly in Egypt, then moving south along the Nile valley. The species certainly suffers a high mortality at poaching sites in northern Egypt.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Corn Crake

In spring, records in South-East Europe and the Middle East are from mid-March to mid-April. In autumn, recoveries of northern and eastern birds in the same stopover regions are from the very end of August and until the end of October. As an example, British birds have been recovered in France mainly between mid-August and mid-September, while the few recoveries from Cyprus and Egypt are from early October.

Recoveries by Condition for Woodlark

Despite the species being no game bird, there are numerous dead recoveries of birds shot, though this changed after 1990 to nearly 90% of live recoveries, which constitutes the main data flow analysed here. Dead recoveries are from Spain, France and Italy.

Annual Movements for Woodlark

In South Finland, autumn migration occurs from the second decade of September to the end of October, with a peak at the shift between the two months (‘Lindén and Mäntyniemi 2011’). For the tagged Dutch birds, autumn migration lasted on average three weeks, spring migration two weeks (‘Zomer 2016’) The distance to the wintering grounds was roughly 800 kilometres, which is quite similar to the second peak of ringing recovery distances, but most ringing recoveries are at shorter distances, so probably obtained during movements or from more southern and more sedentary populations.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Woodlark

Woodlarks of Central Europe are back in their region by April. Birds from southern Sweden and Finland have been recovered mainly in October in West Europe, so were probably still on move to further southern wintering destinations. Recoveries in West Europe, especially in north-western France, are mainly obtained in winter months, while recoveries in the South-West region are mainly dead recoveries obtained in October and November, representing captures by hunters during active movements, probably close to the wintering grounds. As a consequence, monthly connectivity is hardly assessed beyond the general patterns described here.

Recoveries by Condition for Roseate Tern

Ringing started in mid-20th century, but most encounters are from the late 1980s and the early 1990s and are mainly in the breeding season - 79% in Jun-Aug (52% in Jul alone). The majority of encounters (77%) are in NW Europe. The percentage of dead recoveries has decreased over time - from 90% pre-1961 to 16% from 1991; with live recoveries increasing from 7% pre-1961 to 81% since1991. The latter is mostly due to recaptures, particularly to metal ring readings in the field; only 4% are colour-mark encounters. Before 1961 37% of recoveries were of shot birds, but there are now almost none. Birds have been locally trapped in W Africa for sport, food and income by boys using baited hooks or nooses (Wernham et al. 2002).

Annual Movements for Roseate Tern

Post-breeding dispersal in the British Isles breeding population starts in Aug. A number of recoveires from Sep-Oct are spread along the Atlantic coastline of W & SW Europe, as well as W Africa. Numerous recoveries show that birds are mostly in Ghana, Togo and the Ivory Coast in winter. Birds return to the breeding grounds as early as May. Most first-year birds remain in W Africa during the summer, while many second-year birds return to their European colonies in Jun-Jul, but rarely breed (Wernham et al. 2002). The transatlantic encounters relate both to the breeding season (Jul) - North America, and winter (Jan) - Brazil. Birds from the Azores breeding population winter in the same region of the Gulf of Guinea (Oct-Jan); return movements are marked by recoveries in Apr in Senegal and the Canaries.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Roseate Tern

Dispersal movements after the breeding season in NW & W Europe are evident from late summer. Numerous encounters along the coast of France, the Iberian Peninsula and W Africa (incl. the Canary Islands) in early to mid-autumn indicate the migratory route towards the wintering grounds in the Gulf of Guinea. The latter are shared with most of the birds originating from the Azores. Return movements take place mostly mid- to late spring. A few recoveries from E Brazil in winter show that some birds breeding in the Azores, and a few British Isles breeders cross the Atlantic. Upwelling systems along the W Africa coast are vital for migratory staging, particularly on the slower return migration (Redfern et al. 2020).

Recoveries by Condition for Lesser Kestrel

The bulk of encounters are obtained after the early 1990s. They come from mainly from the breeding season, peaking in Jun (39% of all cases). Majority of encounters (88%) are recorded in SW Europe. The overall picture regarding the recovery condition categories did not change much until 1990 – 79-88% of the encounters are based on dead birds vs. 8-12% based on alive birds. The situation after 1991 significantly improved with figures 21 and 78% respectively. Shooting was an important factor until recently – 31-46% pre-1990; nowadays it accounts for less than 1% of all cases. Most encounters currently come from alive birds due to ringing, including nestboxes (2.6% of all cases) and metal rings read in the field.

Very few distant (>= 50km) ringing encounters S of Sahara are available.

Annual Movements for Lesser Kestrel

Post-breeding movements take place from early Aug, autumn migration in S Europe is evident early Aug to early Oct; spring migration is in Mar-May (peak in Apr).

Strong migratory connectivity has been found in the European populations which migrate on a broad front using different routes across the Mediterranean and Sahara: SW European breeders migrate to W Sahel (Senegal, Mauritania, W Mali), those from the Balkan Peninsula – chiefly to CE Sahel (Niger, Nigeria, Chad), whereas the Italian population spreads from E Mali to Nigeria (Sarà et al. 2019).

Autumn migration in tracked birds from SW Europe starts late Sep to late Oct, the wintering grounds in W Sahel are reached late Sep to early Nov. Spring migration starts early Feb to mid-Mar. Unlike autumn, on their way back the Strait of Gibraltar is mainly used (Catry et al. 2011, Limiñana et al. 2012).

Connectivity by Month by Region for Lesser Kestrel

After the breeding season pre-migratory movements take place, starting usually in late summer and sometimes – N from the breeding sites. At this time of the year, the species is known to form pre-migratory roosting concentrations (Sarà​ et al. 2014, Zhelev et al. 2016). Autumn migration itself takes place from late summer to mid-autumn.

Return migration is usually initiated in early spring and it could last until late spring.

The birds spend about 5.5-6 months in their wintering grounds. Those breeding in SE Europe take longest journeys, followed by the Italian breeders and the population from the Iberian Peninsula (Sarà et al. 2019).

Although the species is known to migrate generally on a broad front, differences between spring and autumn have been suggested locally: in Greece birds seem to migrate on a narrower front in autumn compared to spring (Bounas et al. 2016).

Recoveries by Condition for Short-eared Owl

Currently protected species in Europe. N Europe holds the bulk of encounters (ca. 45%), considerable amount of them also in NW, W & C Europe (49% combined). The encounters mainly come from May-Jul – ca. 53%, most ringed birds are juveniles.

The encounters based on dead birds kept their share stable until 1991 (86-88%), then decreased to 53% after 1991. Those obtained due to shooting markedly decreased over time – from 35% pre-1960 to 2% after 1991. The encounters based on alive birds considerably increased from ca. 3% pre-1960 to 44%, mostly due to ringing encounters. Traffic is among the currently important negative factors (17% of all cases).

Annual Movements for Short-eared Owl

Post-breeding movements of the birds breeding in Fennoscandia and adjacent regions start in Aug and last until late Oct; their wintering grounds in W & SW Europe, as well as Mediterranean region, are reached as early as Aug-Sep, but in most cases – in Oct-Nov. Return movements to the breeding sites take place in Mar-Apr, lasting until May in the northernmost populations; some encounters of birds still present in mid-May on their Mediterranean wintering grounds indicate late migration.

A juvenile marked in Jul in Iceland has been encountered in UK in late Oct the same year.

A breeding female was satellite tracked from Scotland via SW UK (early Nov) to cross the English Channel (ca. 500 km) in just six hours, then W France, Gibraltar (late Nov) and finally reaching Morocco where overwintered (BTO 2021).

Connectivity by Month by Region for Short-eared Owl

Populations fluctuate in response to prey availability, hence nomadism in search of food, migration, and juvenile dispersal may be confused (Wiggins et al. 2020). Change in migration patterns has been shown for the European populations, the ringing recovery distances generally increasing through to the 1960-70s and then subsequently declining (Calladine et al. 2012).

Longest-distance movements are performed by the population in N Europe. Birds breeding in N Europe start their post-breeding dispersal as early as late summer, migratory movements lasting mainly until mid-autumn. They are encountered at their wintering grounds in W & S Europe from late summer (at earliest), predominantly in mid- to late autumn. Return migration is evident mainly early- to mid-spring, the breeding sites located in the extreme N are reached in late May.

Recoveries by Condition for Barred Warbler

Overall, most (~95%) recoveries are of birds recorded alive, largely recaptures by ringers (~80%). Before 1961, however, most recoveries were of birds found dead (including shot), sick or wounded (overall, ~50%, together with an additional 20% of birds recovered under unknown circumstances). This pattern changed during 1961-1990, with the percentage of birds found dead, sick or wounded falling to <10%. From 1991 to present, almost all recoveries are of birds recaptured in ringing campaigns.

Annual Movements for Barred Warbler

First movements after breeding occur in Jul/Aug, which is confirmed by birds tagged with geolocators in Sweden (Edman 2016). The median trapping date in autumn in Sweden is mid-Aug, and in spring late May (Fransson 1995). Passage through the E Mediterranean in autumn is mostly Jul-Sep (median mid-Sep) (Fransson 1995), and in spring is Apr-May. Geolocators reveal that brids reach the Sahelian belt in Sep, staging and then leaving for the wintering sites by Nov (Edman 2016). They leave the winter quarters in late Mar-Apr, arrivnig back on the breeding grounds in Apr-May.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Barred Warbler

See ‘Annual movements’.

Recoveries by Condition for Red-throated Diver

Two thirds of encounters are from birds reported dead, without geographical pattern. Few shot or intentionally taken, mostly in France, but 16% drowned in fishing nets. Oil victims decreased from 40% pre-1960 to few percent now. Remarkably for this species, almost one third of recoveries refer to ringing recoveries, all on Shetlands, or birds of which rings were read in the field, nearly all in Finland.

Annual Movements for Red-throated Diver

From November to end March, birds are scattered along coasts of UK and W Europe, occasionally on inland waters in C Europe. From mid-April, birds concentrate in S Finland and N.  Scotland and Shetland, wintering sites in UK and W Europe largely vacated. From mid-May also at scattered locations further N in Fennoscandia. Begin Sept first birds move S, begin Oct Fennoscandia vacated, small concentration in Skagerak. Begin November all birds in wintering areas again.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Red-throated Diver

Birds early in the breeding season in May, June in NW and N Europe mainly connect to relatively close-by sites within the season, representing post-fledging or (post-)breeding dispersal. Birds later in the breeding season in July, Aug in NW and N Europe connect to wintering sites in UK and W Europe in Nov-Mar, occasionally later (Apr-Jun). Birds wintering in Denmark Sep-mar connect to breeding site in Sweden in Jul-Aug and Finland in May-Aug. Winter dispersal in C Europe limited to Nov-Feb.