Back to the Balearic Islands!

Photo:José Marques, ZéMarkS

A Yellow-legged gull equipped this spring with a GSM/GPS radio came back to the Balearic Islands after summering in Portugal ! (see photo by J. Marques) ...and it  did so passing by Madrid !!!
Tracking data have showed the large scale movements of this species outside the breeding season. They have also revealed the opportunistic strategy in long-distance movements. 

The long distance movements before and within the winter period indicate that wintering populations are likely to be made by birds of multiple origins. An important information to plan management actions, such as culling at wintering areas.

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Gull tracking on the news (2) !

José Manuel Igual speaks about the Yellow-Legged Gull study at Dragonera Natural Park to the "Mallorca Zeitung" (text in German).

Gull tracking on the news!

Photo: G. Tavecchia

GSM/GPS data are generating a growing interest in gulls' feeding strategy. A new article by E. Soto in the newspaper El Mundo (here) has just been published on the monitoring of Yellow-legged Gulls at Dragonera. Long-distance tracks and daily feeding strategies are on the spot. Thank also to the help of T. Muñoz from the GOB (Grup Balear d'Ornitologia I Defensa de la Naturalesa)

The mistery of the route to the Cantabric Sea solved!

Tracking data offered a first breakthrough to solve the mystery of the route to the Cantabric Sea.   
Yellow-legged gulls from the Balearic islands have been regularly seen in the Cantabric coast, but the route to Northern Spain was a mystery. Do they fly around the Iberian peninsula or throught the Ebro valley ? Do they use the Ebro river as a landmark? Do they reach the Cantabric sea from France? 
Last year preliminary data provided a first piece of the puzzle when a gull moved North following the Ebro river to Zaragoza. However the radio failed at the end of the summer and the route to the Cantabric sea along the Ebro river was not proved. This summer tracking data deliver the solution to the mystery, showing what is likely to be the main route to the Cantabric Sea: the Ebro valley. Interestingly, the route seems to pass north of the river and through the Basque Mountains at Estella. To be continued....

Yellow Legged Gulls: new tracks !

A Yellow Legged gull marked as a breeder in Dragonera Island (Balearic archipelago) moved North to Barcelona. It continued the journey to Narbonne. Will it move up the Canal Du Midi or move to Camargue ? Place your bet.

To be continued....

GSMs reveal movements of gulls between large islands

With the help of T. Muñoz from the GOB we equipped four breeding Yellow Legged gulls with GPS/GSM devices at Dragonera Regional Park.  The first tracks reveal unexpected large movements of one male between the main islands Mallorca and Ibiza.  More to come.

Gull Shopping

Photo: Björn Marten Philipps

Björn Marten Philipps from the Wadden Sea Conservation Station was visiting Palma when bumped into our GSM/GPS equipped gull shopping and scavenging at the Mercat de l'Olivar. 

Thank you very much for the picture, Björn! 

Summering in Eastern Spain

The three Yellow Legged Gulls equipped with GPS-GSM in Mallorca at the beginning of this summer decided to spend the summer in different places. As many tourists, however, they chose to spend the summer in North-Eastern Spain. One (green cyrcle) moved up to Zaragoza, a second one stayed in Mallorca (blue cyrcle) and a third spent the summer near Barcelona (red cyrcle). 

Soon will be time to decide where to spend the winter ..?! 

First long tracks from Dragonera

The GSM/GPS devices are sending interesting information on bird movements. Marked gulls seem to have moved their core area northward, between the delta of the river Llobregat and the landfill, north of Barcelona city.

The YLG 2016 campaign ended !

Photo: J. Bos

The 2016 Yellow-legged gull campaign at Dragonera Natural Park ended after a survey, egg measuring, birds' trapping and marking.
  

Photo G. Tavecchia:  A gull equipped with a GSM/GPS device

Thanks to T. Muñoz, of the G.O.B., who helped us to equip four birds with a GSM/GPS device to investigate their feeding strategy.

Photo J. Bos.

Photo J. Bos: A gull defending its nest

  

Gulls use to attack intruders, especially near the hatching period. It is a good occasion to make some pictures and read the ring. 

Can you read the ring code?

Photo J. Bos: Gulls behind a trawler