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EURING Newsletter - Volume 2, December
1998
EURING PROJECTS
THE EURING SWALLOW PROJECT IN SLOVENIA
By Dare Sere
BIRD RINGING CENTRE LJUBLJANA, MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, PRESERNOVA
20, P.O.BOX 290, 1000 LJUBLJANA - SLOVENIJA (Email: alenka.jamnik@guest.arnes.si)
Since 1987 Barn Swallows were being successfully ringed at Ringing
Station Vrhnika (near Ljubljana, Slovenia) while roosting. The Ringing
Station operates between 15. July and 1. November. Barn Swallows
roost in dense foliage of willow trees (Salix sp.), also in the
vicinity are four ponds (former clay-gathering sites) that are surrounded
by bushy vegetation. Usually, 17 nets are set up (dimensions 12m
x 3.8m x 15mm) and a tape with Barn Swallow song is used to attract
the roosting birds, the number of which can reach few tens of thousands
at the end of August and the beginning of September. As far as ringing
of this species is concerned, years 1989 and 1994 were extremely
rewarding (22.482 and 23.120 ringed birds, respectively). During
the day, other bird species are ringed, the total number of which
reaches 12.000-23.300 birds per year.
In 1997 we payed even more attention to the ringing of roosting
Barn Swallows in accordance to the EURING project and the result
was 21.047 ringed birds (Fig. 1). The Barn Swallows ringed in Slovenia
were later recovered (on migration or during wintering) mainly in
Italy and fewer in Malta, France, Algeria, Morrocco, Zaire, Central
African Republic, Zambia, South African Republic and Israel. Some
recoveries came also from other European countries. Before the main
migration movements, Barn Swallows from Italy, Austria, Hungary
and Croatia come to roost at Vrhnika.
Fig. 1 Numbers of ringed Barn Swallows (Hirundo
rustica) in ringing station Vrhnika in 1997
In cold and cloudy weather Sand Martins (Riparia riparia)
also come to roost and during the day House Martins (Delichon
urbica) can be observed but in smaller numbers. Three Red-rumped
Swallows (Hirundo daurica) and five H. rustica x D. urbica
hybrids hrave been ringed so far. In 1994 a complete albino female
Barn Swallow was caught.
The contemporary ringing activities which take place in Slovenia
and Northern Italy show very clearly the potential of co-ordinated
efforts in the study of a same phenomenon as, in this case, the
pre-migratory fattening of Slovenian swallows, which largely takes
place in Italy. This is also a very good example of a same population
of a migratory bird being ‘shared’ by different nations,
stressing again the need for conservation strategies which should
be properly co-ordinated across national boundaries.
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