<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This paper focuses on field practice using different types of orientation cages. The two orientation cage designs most commonly used in field work, i.e. Emlen’s funnel and Busse’s flat orientation cage, are described in detail and compared for compatibility of results, simplicity of use and time effectiveness. Apart from cage designs and field procedures (60-min nocturnal tests in Emlen’s funnel vs. 10-min diurnal tests according to Busse’s procedure), the standard data evaluation procedures are compared and discussed. The data used in the discussion were collected for four species of nocturnal migrants (the Reed Warbler, the Sedge Warbler, the Willow Warbler and the Whitethroat) at the Kalimok Bird Station (Bulgaria): altogether 141 individuals were tested in Emlen’s funnel in 2001 and 788 in Busse’s cage in 2001-2007.The following conclusions were drawn: (1) Busse’s flat cage design and its standard procedures yield results fully compatible with those obtained using Emlen’s funnel and the associated procedures; this means full compatibility in terms of the directionality of tested birds in the diurnal and nocturnal tests; (2) the procedures compared have distinct differences in terms of constraints on the methods:
<list list-type="simple"><list-item>– Emlen’s cage is extremely stressful for the bird and should be avoided as much as possible in practice due to animal welfare concerns;</list-item><list-item>– Emlen’s standard procedure of testing the bird for 60 minutes is completely useless, as this is inefficient in terms of quality of results and causes more stress to the bird than is necessary;</list-item><list-item>– Busse’s 10-minute standard makes it possible to collect a vast amount of data (12 birds per hour and person) in real field work, even performed in wilderness areas;</list-item></list>(3) At the stage of evaluation of raw data it is essential to use evaluation tools which take into account the fact that raw data items show a high percentage of multimodal distributions, and therefore tools assuming unimodal distribution are unsuitable.</abstract>

Busse’s flat orientation cage vs. Emlen’s funnel – compatibility, differences and conclusions

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The fieldwork, i.e. catching and ringing birds using mist-nets, was conducted at Tömörd Bird Ringing Station in western Hungary during the post-breeding migration seasons in 1998-2016. Altogether, 106,480 individuals of 133 species were ringed at the station. The aim of this paper was to publish basic information on passerine migration at this site. Migration phenology was described through annual and daily capture frequencies. Furthermore, we provide the median date of the passage, the date of the earliest or latest capture, the peak migration season within the study period, and the countries where the birds monitored at the site were ringed or recovered abroad. To compare the catching dynamics for the fifty species with total captures greater than 200, a reference period was defined: from 5 Aug. to 5 Nov. 2001-2016. Some non-passerines that are more easily caught with mist-nets or that are caught occasionally were listed as well. The two superdominant species, the European Robin and the Eurasian Blackcap, with 14,377 and 13,926 total captures, made up 27% of all ringed individuals. Among the fifty species analysed, there were ten species with a decreasing trend, five species with an increasing trend and thirty-five species with a stable (or uncertain) trend in their numbers from 2001 to 2016. The temporal pattern of migration of long-distance migrants was different from that of the medium- and short-distance migratory species.</abstract>

Bird number dynamics during the post-breeding period at the Tömörd Bird Ringing Station, western Hungary

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This paper reports the results of mist-netting of birds, mainly passerines, at the Talitha Kumi ringing site by the Environmental Education Center (EEC), supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Bird catching/ringing has been conducted there since 2000, but the data presented here are limited to ten years of work (2004-2013), mainly for compatibility reasons. During this time 6,810 individuals of 70 species were caught, of which 16 migrants and 8 local species caught most frequently are discussed. Data on seasonal (all year) and long-term (10-year) dynamics are given. The following general conclusions were drawn: (1) Even infrequent sampling of the local population by netting provides important information on seasonal and long-term patterns and trends; (2) the same is true of migrating species, provided that the work is carried out using the same methods over a long time span; (3) in migrants, very differentiated relations are observed between numbers of individuals caught during the spring and autumn migration seasons; (4) during the ten years of the study negative trends in the number of captured birds were observed for 14 species, including significantly negative trends for 4 species, while positive trends were observed for 10, none of which was significant.</abstract>

Long-term bird ringing in Palestine

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Avian communities are very good indicators of any ecosystem. Despite the alarming consequences of rapid urbanization, studies of avian diversity in the human-dominated landscapes of India are very few. Therefore, we studied the avian assemblage of Bongaon in southern West Bengal, India, a suburban area whose avifauna has thus far remained undocumented. Bird surveys were carried out from June 2015 to May 2016, following the fixed-radius (25 m) point count method together with opportunistic observations. We recorded 119 avian species belonging to 53 families. <italic>Ardeidae</italic> was the most diverse avian family in the study area (RDi value = 5.882). Among the recorded avifauna, 89 species were resident, 26 species were winter visitors, three species were summer visitors, and one species was a passage migrant. Species richness of the resident and passage migrant species did not vary seasonally, while the winter and summer visitors displayed significant seasonal variation. In this suburban area, the species richness of feeding guilds varied significantly. Most birds were insectivorous (41.2%), followed by carnivorous (24.4%), omnivorous (18.5%), granivorous (7.6%), frugivorous (3.4%), nectarivorous (3.4%) and herbivorous species (1.7%). Maximum species richness was recorded in November and minimum species richness in July. Black-headed Ibis <italic>Threskiornis melanocephalus</italic> and Alexandrine Parakeet <italic>Psittacula eupatria</italic> are two near-threatened species found in this region. Interestingly, six species having a globally declining trend are still very common in the study area. Long-term studies are required to monitor any change in the avian communities of this suburban landscape resulting from urbanization.</abstract>

Department of Zoology, Barasat Government College

Department of Zoology, Shibpur Dinobundhoo Institution (College)

Composition, diversity and foraging guilds of avifauna in a suburban area of southern West Bengal, India

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The main aim of this study was to evaluate how local pairs of kites behave in the vicinity of two wind farms located in the same region (Saxony, Germany) and at farms which are to be re-powered. We observed three pairs that had located their nests close to active wind farms (a few hundred to 1500 m from the wind farm). Special attention was focused on variation in the intensity of flights and its dependence on the local landscape and to active avoidance of existing wind turbines. Observations were made at the end of the breeding time, when the young were still in the nest and shortly after fledging. Despite the short observation periods, the results seem to show clearly how differentiated the flight patterns of these birds are in relation to the landscape features around the farm. The distance from the nest to the wind farm cannot be the only measure of the level of potential wind-farm-related danger to the birds nesting close to the farm site.Distribution of flights is not random, but clearly concentrated on defined target hunting areas, while other directions are visited infrequently. In the case of both farms, the farm was rarely crossed by the Black Kites (9.9% of all flights) and very rarely (2.8%) by the Red Kites, and such crossing was observed only while the turbine rotors were not in motion or when the rotors were turning slowly (below 5 turns/min.). It may be advisable to conduct special monitoring of movement patterns at breeding time if kite nests are found close to the planned location of the wind farm.</abstract>

Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Biology, Institute for Research on Biodiversity

Some data on the behaviour of kites (<italic>Milvus milvus, Milvus migrans</italic>) nesting close to two active wind farms in Saxony, Germany

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The Ring

 The on-line version of the journal is a primary one to the printed edition. The Ring is an international journal dealing with problems of bird ringing, migration and monitoring bird numbers. The main fields of interest are original papers, review articles and methodical discussions. Information, progress reports, personal comments and short notes or news are also accepted to the informative columns of the journal. Although papers are refereed, conclusions, opinions and discussion are published on the author's responsibility. Innovative and even controversial ideas are appreciated.  Why subscribe and read  Excellent source of high quality research on bird migration; original articles on:   migration strategies (long jumps vs. short jumps; stopover ecology; fattening strategy; obligatory vs. partial migration, etc.);  migratory patterns (breeding/wintering areas and flyways; migration dynamics and phenology, distances and migration speed, etc.);  populational differentiation of migrating birds (incl. mechanisms isolating different populations, morphological differentiation and morphometrics studies, etc.);  long-term monitoring of migratory bird populations.   Why submit   transparent, comprehensive and fast peer review,  innovative ideas are appreciated.   Rejection Rate   About 10%   Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 

The Ring

Volume 39 (2017): Issue 1 (December 2017)

Busse’s flat orientation cage vs. Emlen’s funnel – compatibility, differences and conclusions

Bird number dynamics during the post-breeding period at the Tömörd Bird Ringing Station, western Hungary

Long-term bird ringing in Palestine

Composition, diversity and foraging guilds of avifauna in a suburban area of southern West Bengal, India

Some data on the behaviour of kites (Milvus milvus, Milvus migrans) nesting close to two active wind farms in Saxony, Germany

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