FIRST AUTUMN SCIENTIFIC RINGING CAMPAIGN IN YETAS BIRD

OBSERVATORY, NERPIO, ALBACETE (SPAIN)

From September 1st to October 31st, a scientific ringing campaign will be carried
out in Yetas Bird Observatory in Nerpio in the province of Albacete. We need expert
ringers to work as volunteers and assistants.

An adult female Oriol (Oriolus oriolus).

To work as an assistant you do not need any previous experience of bird

observatory work. Interest in birds and nature conservation work is good enough.

The two months ringing campaign will be carried out by members of GMA Grupo
Manchego de Anillamiento and “Wings for Nerpio” staff, a project to promote the
birdwatching tourism and birdlife protection in Nerpio mountains. The ringing
campaign is fund by IEA Instituto de Estudios Albacetenses and Fundación
Biodiversidad. The volunteers will stay free in “Cortijo Guillén”, an amazing rural
house close to one of the three ringing sites.

The goals of the ringing campaign are as follows:

• To monitor the Passerines´ community in the main mountain habitats of

“Sierra del Segura”.

• To determine the phenological status of several rare species of birds, or

species with small distribution areas in the province of Albacete.

• To study of the bird migration habits by means of scientific ringing

• Training the local people of Nerpio and people interested in birds and ringing
from the Sierra del Segura region.

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Yetas Bird Observatory has three different ringing sites.

1. Yetas ringing site: The main habitats are orchards, and vegetable
gardens with inserted bush hedges and mountain streams.

2. Vizcable: Riverside vegetation and scrubland

3. Cortijo Guillén: Evergreens and mountain streams.

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Usually around 90 meters of nets are set up in each place. The average number of
birds ringed in each place per day is around 40.

We need volunteers for the first autumn ringing campaign in Yetas Bird
Observatory.

ACCOMMODATION

Will be free for all the volunteers in “Cortijo Guillén”, a nice and traditional Spanish
rural house.

The house has two double rooms and one single room.

The living room is very big and has a chimney, TV, and a small ornithological book
collection. There is a slide projector available to watch slide shows of the pictures
taken during the field work.

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The house also has a big garden with picnic tables, grapevines, barbacues, parking
place and swimming pool.

If you are interested in being a volunteer, please send your curriculum and the
dates when you are interested in work with us by email to
alasparanerpio@hotmail.com

FOOD:

Food expenses are not included in the volunteer work. Only a few basics food (milk,
bread, pasta, and vegetables) will be supply weekly to the volunteers.

The volunteers will have to cook in the kitchen house. The kitchen house is well-
equipped with gas stove, oven, microwave and all kind of pots and pans.

The volunteers will have to be able of organize turns for cooking, do the dishes and
keep clean the house.

Weekly the “Wings for Nerpio” staff will organize a fraternization barbacue for all
the volunteers.

RINGING WORK METHODOLOGY

At least five ringing days must be carried out weekly if the weather allows. Each
day the ringing will be run in one of the three ringing sites. We will rotate the
ringing place allways in the same way, starting the first ringing day in “Cortijo
Guillén”, the second day in “Yetas” and the last day in “Vizcable”. If one day we
can´t ring because the bad weather, the next day we will start again the ringing
cycle in Cortijo Guillén.

During the weekend the volunteers will have spare time, allthoug some weeks the
days off can change if the weather was bad during the week, with the aim of get
five days of ringing each week.

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The nets must be opened every day before the sun rise, and allways will be set up
in the same places. The nets will be working during five hours each day.

The afternoon is for “siesta” and for rest. In the evening the volunteers will have to
spend some of the time input the ringing data in the computer.

The next data must be taken for each ringed bird:

Species latin name

Age (EURING code).

Sex

Fat and muscle level

Wing length

8F length

Tarsus length

Weight

Net code

The controls of birds ringed before only need to take the next data:

Species latin name

Age (EURING code).

Sex

Fat and muscle level

Weight

Net code

When the weather conditions or the high number of captures, can threaten the
safety of the birds, the number of data to take will be the same than for the
controls.

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In the next table you can see the muscle and fat codes used in the ringing
program:

FAT CODES

MUSCLE CODES

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All the data will be written down in the GMA ringing sheet:

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TRANSPORT

The volunteers will be transported from the house to the ringing places by the
project van. The vehicle will be also available to go shopping to the village.

How to get to Nerpio

If you don´t have car we can pick up you in Murcia, Albacete or Hellín, the
public transport to Nerpio doesn´t work very well.

Nerpio is located in the southern corner of Albacete Province, in south-east Spain.

The closest main town with airport is Murcia, which is one hour and a half by car.

From Murcia: Take the road C-415 towards Caravaca de la Cruz, then take the C-
330 to Archivel. From Archivel take the MU-702, and pass El Sabinar before arriving
at Nerpio.

From Albacete: You have to take the A-30 towards Murcia. Leave the motorway
on the first exit to Hellín. From Hellín take the CM-412 towards Elche de la Sierra.
When you get to the road A-13 turn towards Socovos. You have to pass this
locality and turn on the first exit to Nerpio. When you get to Benizar, take the first
exit to Nerpio. Now you are on the road MU-702, and before arriving at Nerpio you
must pass El Sabinar.

MORE INFO:

Birds ringed in Nerpio in the last 10 years:

http://sao.albacete.org/joom/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=613&
Itemid=161

Birdwatching tourism in Nerpio (inglés):

http://sao.albacete.org/joom/images/stories/sergio/pdf/ALAS%20PARA%20NERPIO
%20TRIPTICO_INGLES.pdf

Cheklist of the Nerpio birds (inglés-español):

http://sao.albacete.org/joom/images/stories/sergio/pdf/LISTA%20DE%20AVES.pdf

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