
Hunting and Migration. The XVIII Italian Convention of Ornithology was held from 17 to 20 September 2015, in Caramanico Terme in the province of Pescara, which brings together scholars from all over Italy, both professionals and amateurs, in the field of scientific research on birds every two years.
The reports, organized by thematic areas, embraced various fields of study, from migration to ecology, from biology and genetics to conservation, to the use of new technologies. Special sessions took place for priority species of interest, such as some birds of prey.
As already happened in previous conferences, the Migratory Birdlife Office of the Italian Federation of Hunting was present among the authors of the works, with two interventions, one concerning the research on satellite telemetry of theteal, carried out in collaboration with ACMA and CIRSEMAF-University of Pisa, presented as an oral report, and another, presented as a poster, relating to the FIdC research on hunting diaries for snipe and whisk.
The first research, entitled "First data on the migratory behavior of Anas crecca teals wintering in Italy" by the authors Dimitri Giunchi, Natale Emilio Baldaccini, Alfonso Lenzoni, Paolo Luschi, Michele Sorrenti & Lorenzo Vanni, made public the results of the first two years of study, with 25 marked female teals.
The results range from the date of departure for the pre-nuptial migration, which never occurred before the month of February, to the breeding sites reached, the speed of movement and the stops made. Further information is available regarding the winter movements. This work will be the subject of several scientific publications in recognized journals and will continue expanding the research on other anatidae. The enormous cognitive potential of satellite telemetry for the study of bird migration, already partially demonstrated for the species, is confirmed woodcock.
The poster was instead titled "Analysis of migratory phenology, game bags and environmental preferences of snipe (Gallinago gallinago) and whisk (Lymnocryptes minimus) in Italy" by the authors Daniel Tramontana and Michele Sorrenti. This is the first presence in a scientific context of the FIdC - Bird Migration Office of the "Hunting Diaries" research, which allows to collect and process data on the presence of birds that are impossible to record with other methods, especially over large areas.
The research, which elaborated a sample of 19.802 snipe and 2.769 whisk sighted in 4 years of study, demonstrated the presence peaks during post-nuptial migration and wintering, with statistical analysis. The first multi-year trends in attendance and withdrawals were also presented, which in the future could be an indisputable reference on the trend of attendance in the Italian territory, and in a general context contribute to knowing the demographic trends of the two aquatic migrants.
Rome, October 5 2015
FIdC Migratory Birdlife Office