Seasonal and population differences in migration of Whimbrels in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway

Background:Conserving migratory birds is challenging due to their reliance on multiple distant sites at different stages of their annual life cycle.The concept of“flyway”,which refers to all areas covered by the breeding,nonbreeding,and migrating of birds,provides a framework for international cooperation for conservation.In the same flyway,however,the migratory activities of the same species can differ substantially between seasons and populations.Clarifying the seasonal and population differences in migration is helpful for understanding migration ecology and for identifying conservation gaps.Methods:Using satellite‑tracking we tracked the migration of Whimbrels(Numenius phaeopus variegatus)from nonbreeding sites at Moreton Bay(MB)and Roebuck Bay(RB)in Australia in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.Mantel tests were used to analyze the strength of migration connectivity between the nonbreeding and breeding sites of MB and RB populations.Welch’s t test was used to compare the migration activities between the two populations and between northward and southward migration.Results:During northward migration,migration distance and duration were longer for the MB population than for the RB population.The distance and duration of the first leg flight during northward migration were longer for the MB population than for the RB population,suggesting that MB individuals deposited more fuel before departing from nonbreeding sites to support their longer nonstop flight.The RB population exhibited weaker migration connectivity(breeding sites dispersing over a range of 60 longitudes)than the MB population(breeding sites concentrating in a range of 5 longitudes in Far Eastern Russia).Compared with MB population,RB population was more dependent on the stopover sites in the Yellow Sea and the coastal regions in China,where tidal habitat has suffered dramatic loss.However,RB population increased while MB population decreased over the past decades,suggesting that loss of tidal habitat at stopover sites had less impact on the Whimbrel populations,which can use diverse habitat types.Different trends between the populations might be due to the different degrees of hunting pressure in their breeding grounds.Conclusions:This study highlights that conservation measures can be improved by understanding the full annual life cycle of movements of multiple populations of Whimbrels and probably other migratory birds.

Shifts in phenology of autumn migration and wing length among reedbed passerines along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway

Climate change impacts bird migration phenology,causing changes in departure and arrival dates,leading to potential mismatches between migration and other key seasonal constraints.While the impacts of climate change on arrival at breeding grounds have been relatively well documented,little is known about the impacts of climate change on post-breeding migration,especially at stopover sites.Here we use long-term(11 years)banding data(11,118 captures)from 7 species at Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve in Hong Kong,a key stopover site for migratory birds along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway,to describe long-term changes in migration phenology and to compare observed changes to annual weather variation.We also examine changes in wing length over a longer time period(1985–2020)as wing length often correlates positively with migration distance.We found that observed changes in migratory phenology vary by species;three species had later estimated arrival(by 1.8 days per year),peak(by 2.6 days per year)or departure(by 2.5 days per year),one showed an earlier peak date(by 1.8days per year)and two showed longer duration of passage(2.7 days longer and 3.2 days longer per year).Three species exhibited no long-term change in migration phenology.For two of the four species with shifting phenology,temperature was an important predictor of changing peak date,departure dates and duration of passage.Wing length was shorter in three species and longer in two species,but these changes did not correlate with observed phenological changes.The complex changes observed here are indicative of the challenges concerning the detection of climate change in migratory stopover sites.Continued monitoring and a better understanding of the dynamics of all sites in the migratory pathway will aid conservation of these species under global change.

Citrine Wagtail migration on the Indo-European flyway:a first geolocator track reveals alternative migration route and endurance flights to cross ecological barriers

Most long-distance migrating passerines that breed in Europe spend their winters in Africa,with only a few species migrating eastward to spend the non-breeding period in South Asia.The use of the Indo-European flyway is rare and has been poorly studied so far.However,it is extremely interesting as within that system we are currently witnessing a recent range expansion of European breeding long distance migrants and thus the lengthening of migration routes.It may therefore conceal a unique migratory strategies and behaviour that can help us to understand the underlying factors and mechanisms determining the evolution of migration routes,strategies and breeding range extinction.Based on light-level geolocator we reveal a first track of the Citrine Wagtail(Motacilla citreola)migration,providing insight into the migration pattern,timing and behaviour of the species that recently has extended its migration routes.Unexpectedly,the studied individual did not retrace a recent range expansion that runs north and east from the Caspian Sea but followed a migration route running south form the Caspian sea,suggesting possible presence of an alternative species range expansion.The overall migration distance between the breeding site in Poland and the non-breeding site in Pakistan was about 10,420 km and included two endurance movement phases(920 and 2240 km)covering 30%of the whole journey length,with an average movement speed of 574 km/day.We explain this migration behaviour as an adaptation for crossing the ecological barriers imposed by arid environments.

利用VSAT移动站实现简易FLYWAY功能的探讨

VSAT通信系统即甚小口径卫星通信系统是20世纪80年代逐渐发展起来的一种新型卫星通信系统,其主要特点是通过1.8米以下的甚小口径天线和压缩式的卫星上行、下行系统在Ku或Ka频段实现有限话路或低速数据。90年代以来,伴随着数字电视直播行业的发展,另外一种同样是利用1.

Achievements,challenges,and recommendations for waterbird conservation in China's coastal wetlands

China’s coastal wetlands provide breeding,migration stopover,and wintering habitats for about 230 waterbird species,which is more than a quarter of all waterbirds in the world.Large-scale and high intensity human activities have resulted in serious loss and degradation of coastal wetlands over the past half century,causing population declines in many waterbirds.Through a literature review and expert surveys,this article reviews conservation measures taken in recent decades to protect waterbirds in China’s coastal wetlands and provides recommendations for future conservation action from three aspects:policy and administration,habitat conservation and management,and multiparty participation.Over the past decades,many conservation legislation,regulations and action plans at the national level and more site-specific measures and interventions have been implemented,with notable improvement in the effectiveness in policy making and multi-stakeholder participation.Accordingly,some threats to waterbirds have been mitigated and many key sites for waterbirds have been designated as strictly protected nature reserves.However,some critical issues still remain,mostly related to habitat conservation and management,such as coastal wetland restoration,control of invasive Spartina alterniflora,control of environmental pollution,and improvement of artificial habitat quality.We highlight that protecting natural tidal wetlands and improving habitat quality are critical for the conservation of coastal waterbirds,especially those highly dependent on the intertidal wetlands.China has demonstrated strong commitment to ecological conservation and restoration for the future,in terms of both funding and policies for biodiversity and wetland ecosystems.It is important that this commitment to conserve coastal waterbirds is supported continuously by science-and evidence-based decisions and actions.

Differences in migration phenology of warblers at two stopover sites in eastern Russia suggest a longitudinal migration pattern

Long-distance migratory birds often face major geographical barriers on their journey.While some species are able to cross them,others use longer routes to avoid such barriers.Little is known about the strategies of Siberian landbird migrants,which either cross or circumvent the deserts and mountain ranges of Central Asia en route to their non-breeding sites in Southeast Asia.Here we compare data on migration phenology and morphology from two bird ringing stations in eastern Russia,situated at similar latitudes but with a longitudinal difference of 1500 km,to hypothesise migration patterns.We found significant differences in timing between the two sites(birds migrated significantly earlier in spring and significantly later in autumn in the east),suggesting longitudinal migration as a result of migration detour.However,morphological differences show a less clear pattern.We argue that most Siberian landbirds might opt for a detour through the Russian Far East instead of a direct route in order to avoid unfavourable stop-over habitat in Central Asia.However,tracking studies will be necessary to prove this.

Predicting the non-breeding distributions of the two Asian subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit using morphological information

Until recently,Limosa limosa melanuroides was thought to be the only subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.For this reason,all previous occurrences and counts of Black-tailed Godwits in the flyway have been assigned to melanuroides.However,a larger-bodied subspecies,bohaii,has recently been discovered in the flyway.As a result,the occurrence of Black-tailed Godwits in the flyway needs to be reconsidered such that the specific distribution of each subspecies becomes known.To this end,we developed a simple discriminant function to assign individuals to subspecies based on their bill and wing length.Cross-validation with individuals known to be bohaii or melanuroides,based on molecular analysis,showed the developed function to be 97.7%accurate.When applied to measurements of godwits captured at 22 sites across 9 countries in East-Southeast Asia and Australia,we found that bohaii and melanuroides occurred at most sites and overlapped in their distribution from Kamchatka to Australia.We examined photos from all along the flyway to verify this surprising result,confirming that both subspecies co-occur in most locations.Based on these results,we hypothesise that bohaii and melanuroides from the west of their breeding ranges mostly migrate over Chinese mainland.Birds of both subspecies from the east of their ranges are expected to migrate along the Pacific Ocean.We encourage ringing groups in East-Southeast Asia and Australia to use this simple method to keep adding knowledge about Black-tailed Godwits in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

Variability among autumn migration patterns of Mongolian Common Shelducks(Tadorna tadorna)

Background:Avian migrants moving between common breeding and wintering areas may adopt different migration routes,and consequently affect timing.However,this pattern has rarely been investigated,especially in waterbirds.Moreover,autumn migration patterns of the Common Shelduck(Tadorna tadorna) have never been studied.Methods:We used GPS transmitters to track,for the first time,the autumn migration of the Common Shelduck in East Asia(n = 14).Results:The Common Shelduck undertook a broadly northwest–southeast autumn migration,taking a mean of 91.7 ± 38.7(SD) days to cover a mean distance of 1712.9 ± 450.5 km at a speed of 89.4 ± 226.5 km/day.The birds used 2.5 ± 1.8 stopover sites,and the total stopover duration was 81.9 ± 38.7 days.There were considerable betweenindividual variations in the onset(24 August to 28 September) and completion(29 September to 11 January) of migration,distance(1070.2–2396.4 km),speed(14.7-734.0 km/day),the index of straightness(0.6-1.0),duration(1.5-151.8 days),stopover times(0-5) and total stopover durations(0-148.1).More direct migration routes were associated with fewer and shorter stopovers(p = 0.003 in both cases).Post-breeding and wintering site habitat use was similar between individuals,whereas stopover site habitat use varied considerably within and between individuals.Conclusions:Our study showed remarkable variability in Shelduck migration patterns,which was likely associated with refuelling patterns en route.To understand fully the migration diversity and flexibility of habitat-use,we need to track more birds to increase representativeness,using accelerometer-integrated transmitters to investigate behaviours in different habitats.

芦山震区传兵情——震区卫星传输工作随感

介绍了解放军电视宣传中心技术部深入芦山地震灾区保障卫星传输工作的经验,以Flyway系统为例阐述整个卫星传输视音频信号的工作流程。

Migration departure strategies of shorebirds at a final pre-breeding stopover site

Background: Departure decisions and behaviors of migratory birds at stopover sites are expected to maximize fit?ness by trade?offs among avoiding predators, optimizing refueling(energy) capacity, and matching other life?history events. We predict that species with different body sizes and migratory destinations will exhibit different behaviors when departing from the same stopover site. We also predict that with strong time constraint at the final pre?breed?ing stopover site, departure decisions may be less sensitive to exogenous factors, such as wind condition, compared to other stopover or nonbreeding sites.Methods: We recorded migratory departures of four shorebird species, i.e. Eurasian Curlew(Numenius arquata), Bar?tailed Godwit(Limosa lapponica), Great Knot(Calidris tenuirostris), and Grey Plover(Pluvialis squatarola), at Yaluji?ang Estuary Wetlands in China, a final pre?breeding stopover site in the northern Yellow Sea, from 2011 to 2014. We compared flock sizes, departure time and departure directions between species, and investigated the effects of tide and weather conditions(rain and ground wind speed and direction) on the departure decision of shorebirds.Results: We found that larger species departed in smaller flocks and were more variable in daily departure time. Departure trajectory of all four species appeared to be influenced by coastal topography. With the east–west coast?line and intertidal mudflat on the south, birds exhibited westward or eastward deflection from the shortest migra?tory routes. Bar?tailed Godwit was the only species that deviated to the southeast and did not climb over the land. Birds avoided departure during precipitation, while their departure was not related to ground wind benefit or tidal condition.Conclusions: Body size among species, which influences their vulnerability to predators, might be important in shaping shorebird departure strategies. Diverse departure directions could be the result of different wind use tac?tics in climbing stage. Narrow optimal time window of breeding might lead to reduced flexibility in departure date at a final pre?breeding site. Both endogenous and exogenous are important in shaping departure behaviors and decisions.

Weather conditions affect spring and autumn migration of Siberian leaf warblers

Background: Weather effects on bird migration are well-studied among Passerines moving from Europe to Africa or within the American flyway systems. However, little is known about the weather impact on songbirds migrating along the East Asian flyway. Our study aims to describe the effects of various weather elements on the migration of four species of leaf warblers by using bird ringing data from a stopover site in Far East Russia.Methods: We determined the migration periods for each species and included maximum temperature, precipitation, air pressure, wind speed and wind direction in general linearized mixed models to predict the number of migrating birds.Results: We found strong impacts of weather variables on the number of trapped warblers during spring and autumn migration. Preferred or avoided weather conditions were similar among the studied species. All species seem to migrate preferably during warm, calm days without precipitation. A positive effect of tail winds was only confirmed in autumn, but in spring, most birds were trapped during crosswinds(eastern or western winds).Conclusion: The studied species might exhibit a loop migration, leading to a more longitudinal(from east to west) migration pattern in our study area during spring. Relationships between weather variables and the number of migrating individuals were much stronger during autumn. We argue that birds during spring migration would continue migration under sub-optimal conditions, as a result of strong competition to arrive earliest on their breeding grounds.

Wuliangsuhai Wetlands: A Critical Habitat for Migratory Water Birds

Wuliangsuhai wetland is one of the representative wetlands in arid-semiarid region. It is also a key breeding site as well as a stepping site for both East Asia-Australasia Flyway and Central Asia Flyway. From 2009 to 2012, surveys on migratory water birds and their habitat were carried out by using transects census and spot count methods. The surveys recorded more than 100 000 water birds, and 98 species were identified, which belong to 6 orders and 14 families. Among the 98 species, 55 are summer residents （breeding here） and 39 are travelers （only stay here shortly）, which account for 56.12% and 39.80% of the total recorded bird species respectively. Further analysis on their migration pattern shows that spring migration is mainly from early March to mid May, which is shorter than autumn migration season （from early August to mid November）. Most of the summer residents breed from early April to late May. High concentration of key protected species were observed from early April to early May and from early September to early November. The bird community structure is relatively stable in summer, but much more dynamic during the migration seasons （spring and autumn）. Based on the study, recommendation to nominate Wuliangsuhai wetlands as Ramsar site, and flyway network site were put forward. Habitat management that address to the environmental determinants on bird distribution was also discussed.

如何对突发性事件进行全媒体报道--7．19河北特大洪水灾害抗灾救灾纪实有感

从7月19日开始．河北由南向北遭遇特大暴雨袭击．来势之猛、强度之大、范围之广、损失之重，历史罕见!漳卫南运河系告急!子牙河系告急!大清河系告急!邯郸、邢台、石家庄等太行山半高山局部地区降雨超过600毫米。井陉、赞皇、磁县、平山、易县降雨超过700毫米。这次暴雨洪水之猛烈超过1996年8月特大洪灾。一时间，山洪暴发、河水猛涨，村庄、农田被淹，电力通讯中断，道路房屋被毁。全省受灾人口1043．56万，直接经济损失574．6亿元。