We invite you to report ringed house starlings, surveys are also carried out in Zeltaleja – Gulbene district – Dzirkstele.lv

For the fifth year in Zeltaleja, the Ornithology Laboratory of the Institute of Biology of the University of Latvia (LU) has been conducting research on the house starling. (Sturnus vulgaris) nesting and migrations.

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The second research plot is located at Lake Engure. “This research, now with another research project, is financed by the Latvian Science Council. It should be noted that the competition in this field of fundamental research is high, but we have shown excellence and obtained funding as one of 23 projects in biology,” emphasizes Oskars Keish, the leading researcher of the Institute of Biology of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, doctor of biology, head of the study.

“In the house starling study, we track the fate of the nests every year, ring the young, and catch and ring the adults. Some of the adult birds are equipped with a “geolocator” – a device weighing around 1.5 g, which records light, air pressure, temperature and the bird’s activity. To get this data, we scientists have to catch the bird a second time and remove the receiver. We are continuing our work both in Zeltaley and at Lake Engure this year as well, but it is not excluded that a house starling could choose to nest in neighboring parishes or even counties,” says the researcher.

He invites you to report to the e-mail “[email protected]” or by phone 29236300 about observed house starlings with a ring on their leg. Researchers will be very grateful for any reports of a ringed bird, and even more grateful if homeowners allow the bird to be captured, the data receiver removed, and the bird released back into the wild.

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“Until now, Arija and Jānis Ločmeļi have provided unselfish help to us in conducting research in Zeltaley, for which we are most grateful! We have also interested one local young person – Linards Eglīti,” says the researcher.

He emphasizes that the probability of seeing a ringed bird is small – of ringed sparrow-like birds, about one in 300 ringed birds is found. That is why it is important to notify researchers at the LU Institute of Biology about any ringed bird found (LU Institute of Biology, DAC Torņakalnā, Jelgavas iela 1, Riga, LV–1004).

Data analysis so far has shown that adult (old) house starlings leave their native Gulbene region immediately after nesting in June and stay in Poland and Germany until they leave for the wintering grounds in Great Britain. On the other hand, old house starlings stay around Lake Engure until the end of October – beginning of November, then they fly to their wintering grounds in Great Britain.

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Most migratory flights of house starlings take place at night, rising to altitudes of up to 2,500 m and flying continuously for up to 22 hours. Usually, the flights are not so high and not so long.

Anyone interested can read about the results of this research in English in the scientific journal “onlinelibrary. wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.03080”, on the spring migration of house thrushes across Europe over the past century – “link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-022-02044-6”. You can read more about the research in Latvian in the second issue of last year’s magazine “Putni Dabā”.