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The project - devised by Parco del Delta del Po Emilia-Romagna and the Province of Ravenna - is supervised by the National Institute for Wildlife (INFS) and financed by Parco del Delta del Po, the Province of Ravenna, the Emilia-Romagna region and the Ministry of Environment.
The monitoring programme includes 9 research activities aimed at discovering and protecting the Park's birdlife, as well as 2 data processing activities whose results will be presented and used in technical and institutional settings.
Presentation of the different research methodologies:
- Action 1.a Survey of water birds wintering on wetlands.
Participation to the winter surveys carried out by Wetlands International, with national-level coordination by the National Institute for Wildlife (INFS).
- Action 1.a Survey of water birds wintering on wetlands.
Monthly monitoring (during the middle ten days of each month), all the year round, in three sample isolated wetlands which are representative of the environmental diversity of Parco del Delta del Po: Valle Gorino, Valli di Argenta, and Salina di Cervia-Ortazzo.
- Action 2.a Monitoring of the nesting populations of small Passeriformes.
Bird ringing within the “Constant Effort Sites” project promoted by EURING and carried out in Italy together with the PRISCO project by INFS; birds are caught with mist nets every 10 days, from May to August. Ringing stations: Val Campotto, Punte Alberete, Ortazzino.
- Action 2.b Monitoring of the migrating populations of small Passeriformes.
Carried out following the same methodology outlined above, but with monthly (in winter) or fortnightly (in spring and autumn) intervals; from September to April, in the same ringing stations.
- Action 3.a Survey of nesting birds through "listening points".
Qualitative and quantitative survey carried out on the whole territory of the Park by means of about 400 "listening points", from which it is possible to listen to male birds' songs and to observe pairs in their reproductive age. All the species observed in a 10-minute interval are recorded.
- Action 3.b Survey of nesting birds through “special outings”
Special outings dedicated to species which are particularly elusive or difficult to spot, such as Great bitterns, different birds of prey, Galliforms, some Ground dwelling birds and Coraciiformes, and Sand Martins. The survey is carried out with acoustic electromagnetic means and special on-the-spot investigations in the habitats which are more suitable for reproduction.
- Action 4 Cormorant Monitoring.
This project is likely to have the highest repercussions on the Park management, as it is aimed at studying a problematic species with heavy economical repercussions on the fish breeding activities carried out in the brackish lagoons of the Park. The project includes: monitoring of reproductive colonies, ringing of young birds in their nests, monitoring of winter sleeping sites.
- Action 5.a Survey of colonial water birds: Ciconiiformes and Pygmy Cormorants.
The survey concerns some of the most important species of the Park from the point of view of conservation. These species form large colonies which often include most - if not all - of the Italian populations, and which represent significant numbers at world level. The study includes: constant monitoring of Egret sites and of other colonial species on trees and in reed thickets; ringing of young birds.
- Action 5.b Survey of colonial water birds: Charadriiformes and Spoonbills.
As above, this survey concerns some of the most important species of the Park from the point of view of conservation, whose large colonies represent significant percentages of the Italian as well as of the world populations. The study includes: constant monitoring of Charadriiformes and Spoonbills colonies on rises and along the banks of brackish lagoons and salt pans; ringing of young birds.
- Action 6 Hunting control in pre-park areas.
Hunting is one of the activities which most influences the conservation of bird populations; this is particularly true for water species which, in the autumn-winter period, gather in the few wetlands left. This study aims at collecting detailed and realistic information on the quantity of birds involved in hunting, by analysing the game-cards filled by hunters; collecting data on hunters' behaviour and game-bags; obtaining a realistic estimate of the quantity of birds killed for hunting.
- Action 7.a Study of nesting Anatidae.
The Park represents a key site for the nesting, halting and wintering of different Anatidae species. Many species nest in the Delta, forming the most important populations at the national level. The study includes: monitoring of the extent and distribution of each species' nesting population through weekly observations (March-July) aimed at recording the number of specimens and their behaviour.
- Action 7.b Study of passing and wintering Anatidae.
The research on Anatidae also aims at analysing the different species in their post-reproduction and wintering periods, through catching and ringing (August-April) at the ringing station of Volta Scirocco, as well as through biometrics and the collection of data on the relationship between sexes, the organisation by age classes, and the physiological status.
- Action 8 Flamingos Ringing.
The Comacchio salt pan has been the seat of a nesting Flamingo colony for three years. The colony has been studied by the INSF since the first year of its settlement: colony monitoring; ringing of young birds, with metal and coloured rings in order to follow the movements of each specimen in its adult age; monitoring of marked birds' movements.
- Action 9 Monitoring of migrating Charadriiformes.
The Park wetlands represent strategic sites for the migration of Charadriiformes: catching by means of mist-nets during evening hours, with acoustic signals; bird ringing and collection of phenological data on bird presence; monitoring of the movements of marked specimens; ringing station: Salina di Comacchio.
- Action 10 Territorial Information System.
Collected and localised data will be used to create a Territorial Information System on the Park birds (Sistema Informativo Territoriale Ornitologico), which constitutes an important instrument for management and didactics on the birds of the Po Delta.
- Action 11 Publication on the birds of Parco regionale del Delta del Po dell’Emilia-Romagna.
Finally, all data will be elaborated for the publication of a volume - including an atlas of nesting birds - on the extraordinary patrimony of the Po Delta.
The preliminary results of each of the above actions, collected during 2004, are presented in the following section.
General data
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