Rector Ünal Examined Bird Ringing Studies in the Kızılırmak Delta
Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Rector Prof. Dr. Yavuz Ünal visited Cernek Bird Ringing Station in the Kızılırmak Delta to examine the bird ringing studies for the autumn migration period of 2021, carried out by the University's Ornithology Research Center.
Rector Ünal, who received information about the ringing work from Ringing Station Responsible Lecturer Dr. Arif Cemal Özsemir, toured the fog nets installed in the area and observed the caught birds on the spot.
The ringing in the Kızılırmak Delta is the longest-running study in Turkey.
The ringing study, which has been carried out in the spring and autumn migration periods for 20 years, is Turkey's longest-running study. During the migration periods, 7 and 12 meters long fog nets were set up in the areas with bush vegetation (vegetation) around Cernek Lake in the Kızılırmak Delta. Within the scope of these studies, approximately 149,800 birds from 162 species were fitted with TR rings.
A fixed country-specific address and a different code number for each individual are written on the rings. Code numbers provide birds to be identified individually, and addresses provide access to ringing information of a ringed bird that is recaptured or found dead. The ringing process draws attention as the method which provides the most data on the elucidation of migration routes, wintering and breeding areas, migration calendar, migration strategies and population dynamics.
While information about the migration routes of the species migrating from the Kızılırmak Delta was obtained thanks to about 30 feedbacks, there were also birds that were ringed at Cernek Ringing Station and recaptured in countries such as Finland, Israel, Cyprus, Poland, Ukraine, Syria, Egypt and Russia.
The bird ringing study for the autumn migration period of 2021, conducted by the Ornithology Research Center, started on August 15 and will continue until the end of October. During this period, carried out by master ring makers and volunteer students from many universities in Turkey, 1,096 birds from 39 species have been ringed so far.