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288
| İbrahim Uysal
1
* | and | Murat Tosunoğlu
2
|
1.
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University | Health Services Vocational School | Canakkale | Turkey |
2.
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University | Faculty of Arts and Sciences | Department of Biology | Canakkale | Turkey |
| Received | 04 June 2018 | | Accepted | 24 June 2018 | | Published 28 June 2018 |
ABSTRACT
Background: Turkey, is one the primary migration bottlenecks in Europe for soaring birds. On the western part of Turkey, on
the other hand, the movement of migration mainly takes place in two bottlenecks where water masses are the narrowest (Bosphorus,
Gallipoli Peninsula-Dardanelles). According to bosphorus, there is a limited number of migration monitoring studies in Gallipoli
Peninsula (Dardanelles). Objectives: The aim of our study is to monitor the migration movements of the Gallipoli peninsula
(Dardanelles) in spring and autumn and to evaluate the relationship between wind intensity and direction of migration intensity.
Methods: Raptor migratory birds were observed during the spring and autumn migration period from 5 point determined on the
Gallipoli peninsula 2015. in A total of 45 days of land work was conducted, 19 days in the autumn migration period (11 August-18
October) and 26 days in the spring migration period (12 March-11 May). Counts were performed following the method described by
Bird & Bildstein (2007). Results: We observed 5296 raptor belonging to 22 species during spring migration period and 3061 raptor
belonging to 20 species during autumn migration period in the field studies. There is a positive (0.464) linear relationship between the
number of individuals observed in the spring migration period and the wind speed (t: 8.089, p: 0.000). 66.6% of the passages were
observed at wind speeds above 20 km / h and 88.5% were observed in the days when the northern winds dominated. In the autumn
migration period, there was no significant relationship between wind speed and number of individuals. It was observed that 69.6% of
the passages occurred on days when the northern winds were dominant. Conclusions: The present study, in 2015, carried out a
reasonably complete census of the raptor birds passing over the Gallipoli peninsula, one of the important migration routes in the
western palearctic region. In this study, it was determined that there is much less passage in the Gallipoli peninsula than in the
Bosphorus. But it was observed that the number of passes increased in the days when strong winds from north and northeastern
dominated.
Keywords
:
Raptor, Migration, Western Palearctic Region, Bottlenecks, Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey.
1. INTRODUCTION
It is reported that there are about 10.000 bird species on Earth [1]. In the region Turkey is located within the western
Palearctic distribution shows about 10% of the world's bird species. 2.600 species migrate from at least 141 families of
birds in the world, accounting for about 26.2% of all bird species [2]. Many species perform long-distance migrations
between breeding and non-breeding grounds with tremendous energetic costs, especially when overcoming ecological
barriers such as deserts, water bodies and high mountain chains. For many bird species, the most risky life stage occurs
during migration [3].
Migration is an annual seasonal movement between regular breeding and wintering grounds, covering large geographical
distances over continents, caused primarily by seasonal changes in food abundance [4]. Migration in birds is recognized
as an energetically demanding process due to the long distances covered in flight, thus the flight strategy adopted can
influence survival directly [5]. In order to pass beyond the large sea connections between the continents of Europe and
Africa, birds perform their migration process by centering upon the spots where terrestrial connections are the narrowest.
In particular, the gliding type of migratory birds use thermal air currents so as to be able to complete their migration, and
thermal air currents occur on lands. Broad winged large birds prefer soaring and gliding to flapping flight during
migrations. The fact that while birds during active flying exhausts 23 times higher energy than still flying or
gliding [6]. Thermals are columns of rising warm air that form mainly over the land, but not exclusively. Soaring birds
exploit the uplifting force of the ascending warmer air mass, gaining height by circling up to high altitudes from where
they can glide in their favoured migration direction [7]. For this reason, these tough barriers are very important in
shaping the migration routes of birds.
Since soaring species greatly vary in size and wing shape, differences in their flight behaviour may be explained by bird
size and morphology, as well as different responses to weather conditions such as wind and convective thermal uplifts
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
MIGRATION OF RAPTOR BIRDS ACROSS THE GALLIPOLI
PENINSULA/DARDANALLES, TURKEY
*Corresponding Author and Author Copyright © 2018: İbrahim Uysal. All Rights Reserved. All articles published in American Journal of Innovative Research and
Applied Sciences are the property of Atlantic Center Research Sciences, and is protected by copyright laws CC-BY. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
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289
[8]. Since soaring species greatly vary in size and wing shape, differences in their flight behaviour may be explained by
bird size and morphology, as well as different responses to weather conditions such as wind and convective thermal
uplifts [8]. In particular, eagles and vultures have a lower limit for efficient use of thermals than smaller raptors such as
harriers and falcons. They are also more vulnerable to crosswinds, which cause them to refrain from migration or accept
a drift [9].
Turkey, is one the primary migration bottlenecks in Europe for soaring birds [10]. On the western part of Turkey,
on the other hand, the movement of migration mainly takes place in two bottlenecks where water masses are the
narrowest (Bosphorus, Gallipoli Peninsula/Dardanelles).
Bosphorus (Istanbul) is one of two Bottlenecks in the west of
Turkey. The investigations are concentrated in the Bosphorus. A lot of scientific research have been carried out in
different periods and dates from the Bosphorus [10-17]. A limited number of researches were carried out in the Gallipoli
peninsula/Dardanalles [8, 18, 19].
In western Turkey, there are two narrow constitutes one of the Dardanelles strait is at a critical point in terms of bird
migrations. The wind direction and shape of the coastal area are of great importance for the migration routes of birds.
The winds in northwest (NW) Turkey are predominantly coming from the northeast. This wind drives the birds to the
southwest, a deviation from their theoretical NW-SE route. In this way (in spring) they get more concentrated along the
west coast, especially because most birds hesitate to cross the sea as long as possible. By flying NW (in spring), they
eventually arrive in the area of the Dardanelles, where they can easily cross the narrow straits and don't need to cross
the much wider Sea of Marmara or Egean Sea [18].
The aim of our study is to monitor the migration movements of the Gallipoli peninsula (Dardanelles) in spring and
autumn and to evaluate the relationship between wind intensity and direction of migration intensity. The present study,
in 2015, represents to perform a reasonably complete census of the raptor birds passing over the Gallipoli
peninsula (Dardanelles), one of the important migration routes in the western palearctic region.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
The Gallipoli Peninsula direction between the Dardanelles and Saroz Bay. The narrowest area is 5 km (Bolayır) and the
largest region is 25 km. It is connected to Trakya region in northeast part. It extends in a northwest-southeast direction
between the Aegean and Marmara Sea. A large part of the peninsula consists of peaks at different altitudes (the highest
altitude is 420 meters).
Observational studies were carried out at five locations, allowing a large area to be monitored (Figure 1). A total of 45
days of land work was conducted, 19 days in the autumn migration period (11 August-18 October) and 26 days in the
spring migration period (12 March-11 May). Observational studies were carried out between 07:00 and 18:00 hours using
the point count method. Counts were performed following the method described by Bird and Bildstein (2007) [20].
Observations were made using binoculars (magnification 10 ×), spotting scopes (magnification 8-40x 60mm) and
telephoto cameras. All observations were recorded on standard data sheets. Each bird was identified to species level if
possible. When counting individuals one by one became impossible (e.g. rapidly migrating large flocks), individuals were
counted in increments of 10. Wind speed and direction data are taken from the web page of Çanakkale meteorology
general directorate (http://www.mgm.gov.tr/tahmin/il-ve-ilceler.aspx?m= GELIBOLU#sfB).
Figure 1: Coordinates and distribution of observation points.
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Descriptive statistical analyzes were used in the evaluation of the obtained data. Multiple regression analysis was used to
test the relationship between total daily numbers of raptor species and wind speed and direction. We used the following
variables as independent factors wind direction (categorical variable) and wind speed (km/h).
3. RESULTS
We observed 5296 raptor belonging to 22 species during spring migration period and 3061 raptor belonging to 20 species
during autumn migration period in the field studies. The species with the greatest number of migrants during the spring
migration period were
Clanga pomarina
(52.81 %, 2797 individuals),
Circaetus gallicus
(15.54 %, 823 individuals) and
Buteo buteo
(12.86 %, 681 individuals). In the autumn migration period, the most common species were
Clanga
pomarina
(26.43 %, 809 individuals),
Buteo buteo
(24.53 %, 751 individuals) and
Pernis apivorus
(19.96 %, 611
individuals). The rest of the species were represented by less than 5% from the total of migrating raptors counted (Table
1).
Table 1: Raptor species and total number of individual observed during the present study.
Species
Spring Period
Autumn Period
Total Number of
Passes
Total Number of
Individual
Total Number of
Passes
Total Number
of Individual
N
Percent
N
Percent
N
Percent
N
Percent
Pernis apivorus
33
4.64 %
484
9.14 %
58
13.74 %
611
19.96 %
Milvus migrans
23
3.23 %
124
2.34 %
11
2.61 %
38
1.24 %
Gyps fulvus
1
0.14 %
1
0.02 %
0
0.00 %
0
0.00 %
Circaetus gallicus
183
25.74 %
823
15.54 %
77
18.25 %
566
18.49 %
Circus aeruginosus
3
0.42 %
6
0.11 %
4
0.95 %
5
0.16 %
Circus cyaneus
5
0.70 %
5
0.09 %
0
0.00 %
0
0.00 %
Circus macrourus
0
0.00 %
0
0.00 %
1
0.24 %
1
0.03 %
Circus pygargus
0
0.00 %
0
0.00 %
1
0.24 %
1
0.03 %
Accipiter gentilis
1
0.14 %
2
0.04 %
3
0.71 %
4
0.13 %
Accipiter nisus
30
4.22 %
50
0.94 %
23
5.45 %
28
0.91 %
Accipiter brevipes
7
0.98 %
48
0.91 %
0
0.00 %
0
0.00 %
Buteo buteo
162
22.78 %
681
12.86 %
108
25.59 %
751
24.53 %
Buteo rufinus
9
1.27 %
9
0.17 %
8
1.90 %
15
0.49 %
Falco tinnunculus
9
1.27 %
10
0.19 %
6
1.42 %
7
0.23 %
Clanga pomarina
158
22.22 %
2797
52.81 %
69
16.35 %
809
26.43 %
Clanga clanga
34
4.78 %
90
1.70 %
8
1.90 %
13
0.42 %
Aquila heliaca
9
1.27 %
13
0.25 %
1
0.24 %
1
0.03 %
Aquila chrysaetos
11
1.55 %
26
0.49 %
6
1.42 %
10
0.33 %
Pandion haliaetus
7
0.98 %
10
0.19 %
0
0.00 %
0
0.00 %
Hieraaetus pennatus
22
3.09 %
90
1.70 %
26
6.16 %
139
4.54 %
Falco naumanni
1
0.14 %
1
0.02 %
2
0.47 %
2
0.07 %
Falco vespertinus
1
0.14 %
24
0.45 %
2
0.47 %
44
1.44 %
Falco peregrinus
1
0.14 %
1
0.02 %
3
0.71 %
3
0.10 %
Falco subbuteo
1
0.14 %
1
0.02 %
5
1.18 %
13
0.42 %
TOTAL
711
100 %
5296
100 %
422
100 %
3061
100 %
During the spring migration period, 81.2% (4241 individuals) of the total number of migrated individuals were observed
at the observation point 2 (Yeniköy) and 61.8% (2620 individuals) of the migrations were
Clanga pomarina
individuals. in
the autumn migration period, % 41.2’si (1240 individual) of the total number of migrated individuals were observed at
the observation point 3 (Cevizli village) and %30.7’sini (381 individual) of the migrations were
Buteo buteo
individuals.
The distributions of the migrating raptor individual counted from the each observation points are shown on the map by
divided the 10 km
2
grids (Figure 2).
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291
Figure 2: Distribution of individual numbers according to observation points.
There is a positive (0.464) linear relationship between the number of individuals observed in the spring migration period
and the wind speed (t: 8.089, p: 0.000). 66.6% of the passages were observed at wind speeds above 20 km / h and
88.5% were observed in the days when the northern winds dominated. In the autumn migration period, there was no
significant relationship between wind speed and number of individuals. It was observed that 69.6% of the passages
occurred on days when the northern winds were dominant (Figure 3-4).
Figure 3: Number of daily passages during spring migration.
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292
Figure 4: Number of daily passages during autumn migration.
4. DISCUSSION
The wind direction and shape of the coastal area are of great importance for the migration routes of birds. Raptor species
react differently to different weather conditions and in particular to crosswinds at the bosphorus. In this study, the west
of Turkey made less explored than the other major migration route in the Dardanelles, raptors counts were conducted
during the spring and autumn migration periods. During the spring migration period 5296 and during the autumn
migration period 3061 raptor birds were observed.
Clanga pomarina
has become the raptor species most observed in
individuals during migration periods (3606 individual). More than 95% of the breeding range of these species is in Europe
and the significant part from the global population migrates over Turkey at Bosporus [15]. The highest observation of the
Clanga pomarina
was reported in 58327 individuals during autumn migration period on the Bosphorus [15]. It is seen
that the raptor migration observed in the studies conducted on the Bosphorus is considerably higher than the Gelibolu
peninsula (Bosphorus: 2006 spring migration period 46862 raptor, 2008 autumn migration period 141844 raptor, 2007
autumn migration period 24622 raptor individual; Gallipoli peninsula: 2017 autumn migration period 1618 raptor) [8, 10,
15, 21]. In this study, it was determined that there is much less passage in the Gallipoli peninsula than in the Bosphorus.
But it was observed that the number of passes increased in the days when strong winds from north and northeastern
dominated.
5. CONCLUSION
In this study, we observed raptor migration in 5 different points during the spring and autumn migration periods in the
Gallipoli peninsula (Dardanalles). During the spring migration period 5296 and during the autumn migration period 3061
raptor birds were observed. The present study, in 2015, carried out a reasonably complete census of the raptor
birds passing over the Gallipoli peninsula (Dardanelles), one of the important migration routes in the western palearctic
region. In this study, it was determined that there is much less passage in the Gallipoli peninsula than in the Bosphorus.
But it was observed that the number of passes increased in the days when strong winds from north and northeastern
dominated. New observation points have been determine for future soaring birds monitoring studies in Gallipoli peninsula
(Dardanalles).
Acknowledgment
This study was supported by the Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University-Turkey, BAP (Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri-Scientific
research project) under the Project number FDK-2015/511.
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Cite this article: İbrahim Uysal and Murat Tosunoğlu. MIGRATION OF RAPTOR BIRDS ACROSS THE GALLIPOLI
PENINSULA/DARDANALLES, TURKEY, Am. J. innov. res. appl. sci. 2018; 6(6): 288-293.
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