African stopovers and wintering sites of aquatic warbler acrocephalus paludicola awct meeting 2014

African stopovers and wintering sites of Aquatic warbler
Acrocephalus paludicola
State of knowledge and project proposal for future activities
Julien Foucher
AWCT meeting 2014 Goniądz
AW in the Wetland of Guimi, center of Mauritania. 5/12/2013, all feathers molted

African stopovers and wintering sites : state of knowledge and project proposal for planned searching activities
Julien Foucher – AWCT meeting 2014 Goniądz
Association for Knowledge and Ornithological Research along Loire and Atlantic
« ACROLA » is the EURING code for Aquatic warbler (hereafter AW)
Includes ringers, researchers, birders, all volunteers…
Created in 2006 by the ringers who were managing ringing station of Donges
Study of migration of AW at the ringing station of Donges since 2002
Research about conservation measures on estuarine wetlands for AW
• 1 192 AWs among 116 025 birds caught
Ringing on breeding sites in Poland
Alphanumeric colour rings
• 241 AWs among 326 birds caught
Research for wintering sites of Aquatic warblers since 2009
3 sites discovered, several partnerships with local authorities
• 56 AWs among 4 208 birds caught
2
Introduction
Association ACROLA

Important refuelling on European
stopovers
Autumn migration : half of the
migration of AW (3000 km) is still
unknown
Spring migration : no recent datas
3
Introduction > State of knowledge
African stopovers
Map of AW ring recoveries performed by Association ACROLA. Red lines
: recoveries from Africa, orange lines : recoveries from Loire Estuary
(Donges ringing station) and green lines : recoveries from Poland

Morocco
Potential habitats from Schäffer & al., Bird Conservation International (2006) :
• « Salt marshes with Salicornia sp. and Tamarix sp. »
• « Freshwater marshes with Juncus sp. »
• « Meadow »
Rapid and strong development of the country, increasing threats on wetlands
Potential areas for AW :
• Suitable for AW : El Oualidia wetlands, Oued ez-Zehar
• Non suitable : Oued Loukkos (Larache marshes), Merja Zerga
• Historical areas, to check : Oued Moulouya, Oued Massa
Tunisia
According to Schäffer & al. : Principally spring migration : most of datas in April and May / No record of
the species since 1968 ! / Most of records made on the coastline
Algeria
According to Schäffer & al. : Principally spring migration : most of datas in April and May / No record of
the species since 1978 !
Egypt ?
Uncertain records
4
Introduction > State of knowledge > African stopovers
Autumn and spring migration

Julien Foucher – AWCT meeting 2014 Goniądz 5
Suitable for AW
Oued Ez-Zehar, Sahara. Place where wintering of Sedge
Warblers was proved by Hamid Rguibi-Idrissi
El Oualidia lagoon, near El Jadida. General view and detail of the
vegetation : Salicornia schrubs mixed with Sedges and Reeds

Non suitable for AW
Larache wetland, ringing site
General view of Larache marshes
Merja Zerga wet meadow, Spartina densiflora

Historical areas, to check
Smir wetland, Ritz-Carlton complex project, built now
Moulouya Estuary, Salicornia schrubs, suitable habitat for AW
Smir wetland before Ritz-Carlton complex, at the front suitable habitats for AW Oued Souss-Massa

Mainly West african countries are concerned now :
According to Walther & al., Ibis (2007), potential area includes Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Burkina
Faso, Niger, Ghana, Togo and Benin
Guinea and Guinea-Bissau ?
Currently known, three potential important areas :
Senegal delta (Mauritania and Senegal)
Inner Niger Delta (Mali)
Ephemeral wetlands (Mauritania)
Lake Tchad ? (Niger)
From October-November to February-March
4 months for moulting
Suitability periods different between wetlands
8
Introduction > State of knowledge
Wintering sites

Introduction > State of knowledge > Wintering sites
B. A. Walther & al., Ibis (2007)
Salewski & al., 2012
Oppel & al., 2011

Senegal delta : Djoudj, Diawling and other wetlands
Djoudj National Park
Most important wintering site known
According to Tegetmeyer & al., 2014 :
• 4 729 ha of potential habitat
• estimate a total population size of 776 individuals
• (range 260–4 057)
Diawling National Park
Similar habitats than Djoudj
Since 2009 : 2750 ringed birds, noone AW
Other wetlands
Some places look suitable but mostly of these are invaded by cattail (Typha) or transformed into ricefields
In the Senegal valley, it’s very difficult to reach wetlands without a guide and an all-terrain vehicle
Lake R’kiz : Most important part of the lake transformed into ricefields, the rest of the wetland looks
suitable but ringing is very difficult due to the huge numbers of Quelea quelea and weavers.
Lake of Aleg : historical site for AW but currently overgrazed
Borders of Diawling NP (green) and Djoudj NP (red), red dots :
ringing places

Senegal delta : Djoudj, Diawling and other wetlands
Lake of Aleg : overgrazing problem
Site of Tiguet close to the Djoudj NP, site with highest density of AW
Lake R’Kiz : potential suitable zone for AW, bird : Quelea quelea
Wet meadows of Diawling NP, no AWs

Wintering zone for Aquatic warblers
Abundance, distribution, wintering and moult strategy are still unknown
Suitable period is end of January to end of February, after drying of wetlands
in Senegal delta and Mauritania -> possibility of a migration West to East ?
12
Inner Niger delta
Inner Niger Delta, red square : studied zone Studied zone, red dots : ringing places without AW ; green dots : with AW

In Mauritania the continental wetlands are very lesser known than coastal zones like
Diawling National Park or Banc d’Arguin NP, in despite of their rich biodiversity and crucial
role for migratory birds.
Flooded period of these wetlands depends strongly of the raining season
Poor raining season : not flooded or only in October – November
13
Ephemeral wetlands
Map of continental wetlands in Mauritania, region of
Hodh el Gharbi. Source GIZ 2007
Wetland of Guimi, wintering and moulting zone for AW, but also for Bluethroat or Savi’s warbler

Threats affecting potential suitable wetlands in West Africa:
Agriculture, mainly rice fields
Overgrazing
Global warming : acceleration of desertification
Economical development (tourism infrastructures)
Dams construction
Invasion by cattails
14
Introduction > State of knowledge > Proposal for future activities
African priority

Planned actions
Achieve ringing sessions the wetlands of El Oualidia and Oued Ez-Zehar in
order to quantify the importance of migratory passage for Aquatic warblers
and others reedbed passerines
Other actions
Check suitable habitats for Aquatic warbler on historical sites : Moulouya
Estuary, Souss-Massa Estuary (Morocco) ; and also check historical sites in
Algeria and Tunisia (idea of birding holidays ?)
15
Stopovers sites

Planned actions
Try to find the explanation of the absence of AW in Diawling NP (Understand
the reason could permit to adapt natural management of Diawling NP to AW and if it works, to
double the potential suitable area in Senegal delta)
Continue to realise ringing sessions at the site of Tiguet, in Djoudj NP
Continue searching of suitable wetlands along Senegal river
Other actions
Increase Djoudj conservation measures for AW (the site of Tiguet is not in
the perimeter of Djoudj NP and is under pressure of local people who want
to make rice culture)
16
Senegal delta

Planned actions
Achieve ringing sessions on a maximum of different places will be performed
in order to identify the preferred habitats of AW and their density. With
these data we will be able to extrapolate the wintering importance on the
Inner Niger Delta according to vegetation and hydrology existing maps.
Continue searching for suitable wetlands close to the Delta (Lake Oro, Lake
Télé)
Other actions
Continue searching for suitable wetlands in the rest of the country
17
Inner Niger delta

Planned actions
On each visited wetland, through field inventories and population surveys, will be
filled informations like : area’s size, landowners, land management, hydrologic and
edaphic carachters, descriptive of plant and birds communities and waterbirds
census.
If the site seems to be suitable for Aquatic warbler, ringing sessions will be
performed in order to identify the importance of the wetland for this species.
Rendering of this inventory will be in the form of sheets for each wetland that will be
given to the Mauritanian Direction of Protected Areas and Coastline in order to
supply their databases. The results of these inventories will also given to
international databases like Wetlands International, Ramsar or MedWet.
18
Ephemeral wetlands

Study and protection of African wetlands for AW are also a good way to
protect other reedbed passerines.
19
Introduction > State of knowledge > Proposal for future activities > Conclusion
AW : an « umbrella » species
Ring recoveries performed from the african missions since
2009, mainly on Sedge warbler

Geolocators
Satellite image analysis
???
20
Introduction > State of knowledge > Proposal for future activities > Conclusion
Other searching methods - Debate

African stopovers and wintering sites of aquatic warbler acrocephalus paludicola awct meeting 2014

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African stopovers and wintering sites of aquatic warbler acrocephalus paludicola awct meeting 2014