Abstract
BackgroundWhile the general migration routes of most waders are known, details concerning connectivity between breeding grounds, stopover sites and wintering grounds are often lacking. Such information is critical from the conservation perspective and necessary for understanding the annual cycle. Studies are especially needed to identify key stopover sites in remote regions. Using satellite transmitters, we traced spring and autumn migration routes and connectivity of Grey Plovers on the East Atlantic Flyway. Our findings also revealed the timing, flight speed, and duration of migrations.MethodsWe used ARGOS satellite transmitters to track migration routes of 11 Grey Plovers that were captured at the German Wadden Sea where they had stopped during migration. Birds were monitored for up to 3 years, 2011‒2014.ResultsMonitoring signals indicated breeding grounds in the Taimyr and Yamal regions; important staging sites on the coasts of the southern Pechora Sea and the Kara Sea; and wintering areas that ranged from NW-Ireland to Guinea Bissau. The average distance traveled from wintering grounds to breeding grounds was 5534 km. Migration duration varied between 42 and 152 days; during this period birds spent about 95% of the time at staging sites. In spring most plovers crossed inland Eastern Europe, whereas in autumn most followed the coastline. Almost all of the birds departed during favorable wind conditions within just 4 days (27‒30 May) on northward migration from the Wadden Sea. In spring birds migrated significantly faster between the Wadden Sea and the Arctic than on return migration in autumn (12 vs. 37 days), with shorter stopovers during the northward passage.ConclusionsOur study shows that satellite tags can shed considerable light on migration strategies by revealing the use of different regions during the annual cycle and by providing detailed quantitative data on population connectivity and migration timing.
Highlights
While the general migration routes of most waders are known, details concerning connectivity between breeding grounds, stopover sites and wintering grounds are often lacking
Many shorebird species on the East Atlantic Flyway (EAF) are declining, especially species feeding on benthic invertebrates
While birds of central Siberia follow a flyway across the Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean into East Africa, the Grey Plovers of western Siberia and northwestern Russia follow the EAF across western Europe into western Africa (Branson and Minton 1976; van Dijk et al 1986; Exo and Stepanova 2000; Engelmoer 2008; van Roomen et al 2015)
Summary
While the general migration routes of most waders are known, details concerning connectivity between breeding grounds, stopover sites and wintering grounds are often lacking. While birds of central (and eastern) Siberia follow a flyway across the Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean into East Africa, the Grey Plovers of western Siberia and northwestern Russia follow the EAF across western Europe into western Africa (Branson and Minton 1976; van Dijk et al 1986; Exo and Stepanova 2000; Engelmoer 2008; van Roomen et al 2015). This population decreased between the 1990s and 2014 by c. Recent developments in tracking technology (Bridge et al 2011; Exo et al 2013) make it possible to study the migration of Grey Plovers
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