06 Jun 2019 #BiodiversityManifesto – Italian hunters use latest technology for migratory bird monitoring

Posted at 15:34h in Nature Conservation by

Since 2009, the Italian Hunting Federation’s Research Team led by Dr. Michele Sorrenti has based its dialogue with the Italian goverment on strong scientific principles. Specific data collection methods, such as satellite telemetry and ringing, make it possible to implement effective management decisions in the national hunting legislation and to give the best approach to the review of European bird hunting seasons/periods – revision of the EU Key Concepts document.

Satellite telemetry shows the precise location of the transmitter, meaning an entire spring migration phase can be followed. Some birds can be monitored for more than one migratory cycle. Unlike the ringing methods, satellite telemetry facilitates mapping the breeding and wintering sites independently from the activity of capturing and re-capturing.

The research and monitoring projects were conducted on several migratory bird species, such as Teal, Fieldfare, Woodcock and Song Thrush.

The data collected are strategic in order to determine:

  • the departure dates of the species towards theor breeding sites, which helps defining the optimal period for hunting without undermining the reproductive potential of the species;
  • migration routes and strategies;
  • environmental preferences of the species (e.g. choice for nesting sites; choice of overnight stay inside the wintering areas).
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