In a recent article in the annual report of the Ornithological Working Group (OAG) Helgoland, we present the radio-tagged pied wheatear, a rarity in Germany, from Helgoland in autumn 2023 (Peter et al. 2024). By studying the behaviour of these birds out of their normal distribution area, we can gain insights into the evolution of migratory routes (Dafour et al. 2022), such as the establishment of new wintering areas. The latter has already been hypothesised for the Yellow-browed Warbler, which has now become a "frequent rarity" (Schmaljohann & Karwinkel 2020).

The OAG Helgoland articles are available upon request from the authors or here (https://www.oag-helgoland.de/index.php/jahresbericht-der-oag/).

Peter A, Karwinkel T, Dierschke J & Schmaljohann H (2024) Zur Evolution neuer Zugrouten: Was wir von Helgoländer Seltenheiten lernen können. Ornithologischer Jahresbericht Helgoland 34, 114-119

Dufour P, Åkesson S, Hellström M, Hewson C, Lagerveld S, Mitchell L, Chernetsov N, Schmaljohann H & Crocher, PA (2022) The Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) as a model to understand vagrancy and its potential for the evolution of new migration routes. Movement Ecology 10, 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-022-00345-2

Schmaljohann H & Karwinkel T (2020) Neues über das Wanderverhalten des Gelbbrauen-Laubsängers Phylloscopus inornatus. Ornithologischer Jahresbericht Helgoland 30, 106-111

A PhD position is available in our research group.
 

The complete job advertisement can be found here.

In September 2024, we launched a project in cooperation with BirdLife Norway and the ringing station in Lista to study the North Sea migration of songbirds. To this end, we have installed three new Motus radio receiving stations in Hanstholm (Denmark), at the southern tip of Norway in Lindesnes and at the ringing station in Lista itself. A total of 100 songbirds are to be equipped with radio transmitters this and next year. The aim is to analyse the significance and proportions of long or short North Sea crossings in order to assess how serious anthropogenic structures in the North Sea, e.g. offshore wind power, could be for the populations.

Artificial nest sites are often used to support endangered species, but their success depends on proper installation. In a study based on Gianna Allera´s bachelor thesis and conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Landscape Ecology at the University of Münster and the NABU Nature Conservation Station Münsterland, we investigated the factors influencing the occupation of artificial nests by the Northern House Martin Delichon urbicum. The key findings include: 

1) Artificial nests are often not occupied until several years after installation.

2) Occupation rates were positively influenced by the number of artificial nests at a site.

3) Higher proportions of sealed surfaces in the surrounding area and southward exposure had negative impacts on occupation.

The study's recommendations will enable artificial nests to be used more effectively in the future to protect the northern house martin. 

Allera G, Heim RJ, Förster A, Heim W (2024) Landscape structure and site factors influence whether the northern house martin Delichon urbicum occupies artificial nests. Ecology and Evolution 14: e70261. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70261

Using barometer loggers and GPS data loggers, we were able to investigate the migration routes of the Siberian Rubythroat population breeding in Xinghai, China. We demonstrated that in autumn, the birds take a detour to avoid high mountain ranges, while in spring, they fly relatively directly over the mountains to their breeding areas. On average, the birds flew at an altitude of 2000 meters, but in some cases up to 4600 meters above sea level.

Zhao T, Heim W, Nussbaumer R, van Toor M, Zhang G, Andersson A, Bäckman J, Liu Z, Song G, Hellström M, Roved J, Liu Y, Bensch S, Lei F, Wertheim B, Helm B. Seasonal migration patterns of Siberian Rubythroat (Calliope calliope) facing the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Mov Ecol 12, 54 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-024-00495-5

The project initiated by Dr. Wieland Heim to investigate the impact of pesticides on migratory birds has been awarded the Brenda and Tony Gibbs Award [https://bou.org.uk/funding/brenda-and-tony-gibbs-award/] by the British Ornithologists' Union and received financial support exceeding €20,000. The study aims to utilize radio telemetry transmitters to examine how the migration behavior of Eurasian Skylarks is affected when they come into contact with pesticides. For this purpose, the network of MOTUS receiving stations established and maintained by the Migration Ecology group at the University of Oldenburg will be employed.

After investigating the issue already in 2 other papers (Karwinkel et al 2022a, J Roy Soc Interface; 2022b JEB), we conducted a third experiment trying to understand how migratory birds navigate using the Earth's magnetic field. In previous studies, short but strong magnetic pulses were used to alter the hypothesised sensory magnetic particles. As a result, the birds showed this change in their migratory behavior. However, these studies lacked appropriate controls as electrical effects were not taken into account. In this study, a controlled experiment was designed to accurately test the effects of the magnetic pulse component, but despite a large sample size of 250 birds, no effects were found. However, the study sets new methodological standards for future studies to investigate how birds use magnetic information for navigation.

Karwinkel T, Winklhofer M, Allenstein D, Brust V, Christoph P, Holland RA, Hüppop O, Steen J, Bairlein F, Schmaljohann H (2024) A refined magnetic pulse treatment method for magnetic navigation experiments with adequate sham control: a case study on free-flying songbirds. J. R. Soc. Interface.2120230745. http://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2023.0745