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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