Title of the project

Skylark: monitoring of autumn migration

Description

Ringing activity through constant and standardized capture activities for the monitoring of post-breeding migration and biometric characterisation of the Skylark (Alauda arvensis) migrant population.

Objectives are: monitoring demography of population, monitoring phenology of migration, understand population structure in terms of sex ratio as requested by EU Management Plan, understand health of birds ringed, understand sex detection method.

Since 2010, three-year monitoring of the autumn migration has been conducted by using transect of vertical networks of constant number and size and with a fixed orientation.

Ringing activity takes place from 1 october to 10 november with same nests and position. Each bird is weighted, and all measures are taken (wing, tarsus, sex, fat, mute). Birds are ringed with ISPRA rings from Euring program.
The data stored will be used to set up procedures for assessing the magnitude of migration, as well as biometric characterization of the migrant population.

Hunters are involved through FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA DELLA CACCIA that financed study without any other partner, and have the property of results.

Results

Data demonstrate stable flux of migratory skylarks over 5 years. Data collected show also the sex ratio of population and its annual variation; such result is a request of MP of Skylark

Location

Country	Italy
Level	Local
Site	Coast of the Piana del Volturno
Province(s)	Caserta province
Region	Campania Region (South Italy)

Starting date

1998

Habitat Types

Wetland

Species

Species Caracteristics	Huntable species, Migratory species, Threatened species
Species Type	Birds
Name(s) of main species	Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis)

Conservation action(s)

Research and data collection (e.g. monitoring, bag data)

Partners

Leading partners	The Association Group Ringing Waders (GIL, Naples), coordinated by Dr. Sergio Scebba (http://www.gruppoinanellamentolimicoli.it/tringa-glareola.html)
Other partners	Federazione Italiana della Caccia (Office of Migratory Bird) http://www.federcaccia.org/

Estimation of the budget (total or annual)

Funded by FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA DELLA CACCIA, 15.000 euros/year

Estimation of Human Resources needed

For each capture session around 3 or 4 hunters helped researchers in finding sites and in may cases a ringer with ISPRA permission was present at operation. It could be estimated that around 60-70 hunters cooperate in the capture operation of this study over the 4 years

Publication(s)

Studio sulla migrazione autunnale dell’Allodola in Campania, autunno 2010, I ResocontoStudio sulla migrazione autunnale dell’Allodola in Campania, autunno 2011, II Resoconto (http://www.federcaccia.org/avifauna_files/d1ad0f6c2d08fd0f5d2db96e9a9b15f2.pdf)Studio sulla migrazione autunnale dell’Allodola in Campania, autunno 2012 III Resoconto (http://www.federcaccia.org/avifauna_files/96439fe2f330937973bda672f9b7e9a2.pdf)Scebba Sergio and Michele Soprano2011, 2012, 2013

Weblinks

http://www.federcaccia.org/progetti_ricerche.php?idn=15