Birds Ringing Station of Constant Effort
Palombar creates the first Birds Ringing Station of Constant Effort in Trás-os-Montes region in Natura 2000 Network territory
Palombar creates the first Birds Ringing Station of Constant Effort (EAEC, in the Portuguese acronym) in Trás-os-Montes region, located in the village of Vila Chã da Ribeira (municipality of Vimioso), with the main goal of contributing to the scientific study of the birdlife present in the region.
25 Mars, 2020
Birds Ringing Station
Palombar - Nature and Rural Heritage Conservation installed, in March 2020, the first Birds Ringing Station of Constant Effort (EAEC) in Trás-os-Montes region, located in the village of Vila Chã da Ribeira (municipality of Vimioso), with the main objective of contributing to the scientific study of the birdlife present in the region. Inserted in the Special Protection Zone (SPA) and in the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Sabor and Maçãs Rivers of the Natura 2000 Network, this EAEC is located in an area with great diversity of bird species and with habitats essential to its conservation.
Birds Ringing Station of Constant Effort of Vila Chã da Ribeira
The EAEC of Vila Chã da Ribeira was established under the Constant Effort Stations Project (PEEC, in the Portuguese acronym), developed by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF, in the Portuguese acronym), the Portuguese Association of Bird Ringers (APAA, in the Portuguese acronym) and the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO, in the Portuguese acronym) of the University of Porto. This EAEC is coordinated by Palombar and the ringer in charge is the organization's ecotourism and nature conservation technician Luís Ribeiro.
The EAEC includes two ringing lines, one positioned along a riparian gallery formed by ash and willow trees, with some patches of narrowleaf cattail and bramble hedges and the other located over a water line. In the bordering areas, there are also agricultural and forestry areas formed by Holm oak trees, with a developed understory, dominated essentially by cistus.
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Each year, from 25 March to 22 July, the EAECs carry out up to 12 sessions of capture and ringing of birds with vertical nets during the nesting season. These sessions make it possible to obtain important data to make reliable estimates of the density of adults and juveniles of bird species present in a given region during each nesting season, in order to assess population trends.
The main goal of PEEC is to estimate the abundance of adults and juveniles of various breeding species in the country and contribute to the monitoring of biodiversity in Portugal, with relevant information on their population dynamics. It also aims to provide data for the Red Book of Vertebrates of Portugal and the Atlas of Breeding Birds in Portugal, essential information for knowledge about the current state of abundance and distribution of wild birds in the country.
What is scientific ringing? Watch the video about scientific ringing produced by Palombar as part of the "Reconnect to Nature: birds do more than sing" project. The images were captured during the ringing sessions that took place at EAEC in Vila Chã da Ribeira.
Wintering Bird Monitoring
Palombar also integrates, within the scope of the Vila Chã da Ribeira EAEC, the Wintering Bird Monitoring Project of the Portuguese Association of Bird Ringers. This project studies the population trends of wintering birds using vertical netting, ringing and subsequent release. It aims to understand the geographical origin of the wintering bird populations, to evaluate the interactions between wintering and resident populations and to study the constant and continued presence in the wintering territories.
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Training, awareness-raising and environmental education
Palombar carries out, at the Vila Chã da Ribeira EAEC, training in scientific ringing, a research method based on the individual marking of birds that is an indispensable tool for the scientific study of birdlife and its migrations. The organization also develops awareness and environmental education activities open to the public at this EAEC and contributes, in this way, to increase the knowledge, by the community, about the biodiversity of the Northeast Transmontano region, focusing on the promotion of a pro-active citizen attitude towards the sustainable development of the territory.
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National coordination ICNF/APAA/CIBIO
Territory Natura 2000 Network
Birds Ringing Station of Constant Effort of Vila Chã da Ribeira
The EAEC of Vila Chã da Ribeira was established under the Constant Effort Stations Project (PEEC, in the Portuguese acronym), developed by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF, in the Portuguese acronym), the Portuguese Association of Bird Ringers (APAA, in the Portuguese acronym) and the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO, in the Portuguese acronym) of the University of Porto. This EAEC is coordinated by Palombar and the ringer in charge is the organization's ecotourism and nature conservation technician Luís Ribeiro.
The EAEC includes two ringing lines, one positioned along a riparian gallery formed by ash and willow trees, with some patches of narrowleaf cattail and bramble hedges and the other located over a water line. In the bordering areas, there are also agricultural and forestry areas formed by Holm oak trees, with a developed understory, dominated essentially by cistus.
Location of EAEC. Photo credit Luís Ribeiro/Palombar.
EAEC, ringing table. Photo credit Luís Ribeiro/Palombar.
Each year, from 25 March to 22 July, the EAECs carry out up to 12 sessions of capture and ringing of birds with vertical nets during the nesting season. These sessions make it possible to obtain important data to make reliable estimates of the density of adults and juveniles of bird species present in a given region during each nesting season, in order to assess population trends.
The main goal of PEEC is to estimate the abundance of adults and juveniles of various breeding species in the country and contribute to the monitoring of biodiversity in Portugal, with relevant information on their population dynamics. It also aims to provide data for the Red Book of Vertebrates of Portugal and the Atlas of Breeding Birds in Portugal, essential information for knowledge about the current state of abundance and distribution of wild birds in the country.
What is scientific ringing? Watch the video about scientific ringing produced by Palombar as part of the "Reconnect to Nature: birds do more than sing" project. The images were captured during the ringing sessions that took place at EAEC in Vila Chã da Ribeira.
Wintering Bird Monitoring
Palombar also integrates, within the scope of the Vila Chã da Ribeira EAEC, the Wintering Bird Monitoring Project of the Portuguese Association of Bird Ringers. This project studies the population trends of wintering birds using vertical netting, ringing and subsequent release. It aims to understand the geographical origin of the wintering bird populations, to evaluate the interactions between wintering and resident populations and to study the constant and continued presence in the wintering territories.
Iberian grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis). Photo credit Luís Ribeiro/Palombar.
Training, awareness-raising and environmental education
Palombar carries out, at the Vila Chã da Ribeira EAEC, training in scientific ringing, a research method based on the individual marking of birds that is an indispensable tool for the scientific study of birdlife and its migrations. The organization also develops awareness and environmental education activities open to the public at this EAEC and contributes, in this way, to increase the knowledge, by the community, about the biodiversity of the Northeast Transmontano region, focusing on the promotion of a pro-active citizen attitude towards the sustainable development of the territory.
Environmental awareness and education activity. Photo Luís Ribeiro/Palombar.
National coordination ICNF/APAA/CIBIO
Territory Natura 2000 Network