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Background The dynamics and structure of many bird communities are changing due to the global warming and changes in the land use and management. The Ebro Valley constitutes one of the chief wintering areas for several passerine species in Iberia, and the reed beds spread across this Valley concentrate huge numbers of birds that use them to roost, while the surrounding agricultural areas serve as main foraging habitats. The aims of this work are (1) to quantify how variable a non-breeding passerine bird community associated to a reed bed area in the Ebro Valley is, and, (2) to test for the effect of weather on possible annual fluctuations in species’ proportions at a regional/local scale. Methods We used for that ringing data collected at Badina de Escudera lagoon (Navarra) over a 12-year period. Results Though, overall, the assemblage did not vary strongly among years (most similarity values were > 0.8), we still found a significant linear effect of year on the proportion of captures of Reed Buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus), i.e., the dominant species detected in our passerine community. The increasing loss of weight of Reed Buntings in the community was due to a progressive decrease in its abundance. Conclusions The structure and diversity of passerine community in Badina Escudera was not influenced by meteorological conditions at a local scale, suggesting that local weather would not have an impact on numbers of Reed Buntings in winter.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Number of sampling days, per month and year, at Badina Escudera. Table S2. Mean values of the mean and minimum temperature and accumulated precipitation (Tmean, Tmin, Prec, as in Table 2) at Badina de Escudera, during the three time units considered in this study.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) was detected in Spain in 2010. The presence of CCHFV in Hyalomma marginatum ticks from migratory birds passing through Morocco during the spring migration strengthened the hypothesis of the arrival of infected ticks transported by birds to the Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, Hyalomma species are vectors of bacterial infections such as spotted fever rickettsioses. CCHFV and Rickettsia were screened in Hyalomma ticks from Spain attached to patients (n=12) and birds (n=149). In addition, Rickettsia was investigated in 52 Hyalomma ticks from Morocco (previously reported as CCHFV-infected). No sample collected in Spain showed an infection with CCHFV. Two ticks removed from patients (16.7%), as well as 47 (31.5%) and 4 (7.7%) from birds, collected in Spain and Morocco respectively, were infected with Rickettsia aeschlimannii. Rickettsia sibirica subsp. mongolitimonae was also found in 2 ticks from birds collected in Spain (1.3%). The risk of CCHFV-infected ticks attached to migratory birds to reach the North of Spain is low. This study corroborates the presence of R. aeschlimannii in Spain and Morocco, and supports that H. marginatum can be a potential vector of R. sibirica subsp. mongolitimonae in the Iberian Peninsula.

Knowledge of spatio-temporal animal distribution patterns is one of the main chapters of wildlife research, not only due to its biological and ecological importance but also its usefulness in the conservation and management of animal populations. Iberia is a target wintering region for the Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola). The aim of the present work is to determine which factors shape woodcock distribution patterns during the winter period. To ascertain this, we used data collected over three consecutive years (winter of 2010/2011–2012/2013) in a region from northern Iberia (Gipuzkoa). Woodcock numbers (W) were modeled using generalized linear mixed models. The models that best fitted our data included a significant effect of latitude, land uses, sampling year, and type of meadow on W (once weighted for the number of visits and the area of each meadow). Overall, W tended to be lower in sites from southern Gipuzkoa, in those areas where there was a higher proportion of tree plantations, in grazed mountain pastures, and during the winters of 2011 and 2012 in relation to 2010 (mean ± SD values in 2010, 0.4 ± 0.5 woodcocks/ha; 2011, 0.2 ± 0.3 woodcocks/ha; 2012, 0.2 ± 0.4 woodcocks/ha). Part of the observed variance was due to the “year” effect, which could include several potential explanatory variables. Future research should try to add variables such as year-associated meteorological conditions, at both breeding and non-breeding quarters. Locally, a mosaic of some forest/woodland with abundant meadows would allow numbers of woodcocks to reach an optimum within the region. Moreover, the species was more abundant in the north; hence, the zones close to the coast had more importance from a conservation standpoint.

The development of increasingly small devices for the satellite tracking of small birds allows us to explore aspects of avian migration that have never been studied before. Here, we provide the results of using 12- and 9.5-g platform transmitter terminals (PTTs) to track game birds of 300–385 g. Attaching PTTs to 20 Woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola), wintering in Spain from 2006 to 2012, allowed us to explore (1) migration strategies (timing, velocity and stopovers), (2) the identity of the breeding grounds; (3) inter-year site fidelity to wintering grounds. We provide details of the route, speed and timing of migration and the location of remote breeding sites that were unknown prior to this study. The departure from winter quarters (median date) was completed by 20 March. The spring migration period lasted 40 days, and our birds were found to travel from >5,000 to >10,000 km, with a mean total migratory speed (i.e., including stopovers) of 170 km/day. Woodcocks followed fairly direct routes of migration. Stopover duration tended to be shortened when birds were closer to their breeding areas, which were located further east than previously stated. The only bird that provided long-term data (>1 year) was observed to return to the same wintering area, suggesting high winter site fidelity. The use of small PTTs opens new research lines related to the study and management of small to medium-sized migratory birds.

Seasonal fluctuations in marine prey availability aroundbreedingcoloniesareoneofthemajorfactorsaffecting resident behaviour in seabirds. This is particularly applicable to large gulls (Larus spp.). The effect of refuse management on large gulls has been studied chiefly in relation to breeding dynamics, but it is less understood with regard to movement patterns. Our aim was to test whether the closure of one large dump andtheuse offalconryto detergull access to two others, within the southeastern Bay of Biscay area, affected the forag- ing distance of local yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis). During a period of seven consecutive winters between 2005 and 2011, the proportion of gulls that moved less than 50 km from their natal site was 70 %. However, during the winter of 2010, when they were deterred from accessing refuse tips within the region, gulls were found to travel longer distances. This result was explained neither by a decreasing survey effort near colonies nor by a decrease in apparent availability of marine prey, thus supporting the hypothesis that refuse man- agement within the region influenced the movement patterns of local gulls.

Capsule Arrival fuel load of migratory passerine birds after the Sahara crossing in spring varied between oases of different habitat quality. Aims To test: (1) if spring migrants reaching northern Africa with low fuel stopover in oases of species-specific suitable habitat; (2) whether migrants have sufficient fuel loads to reach southern Europe; and (3) if there is local variation. Methods We collected data from passerines caught at three different oases in southeast Morocco during the spring of 2011. Results In species typical of mesophilic vegetation in Europe, birds carrying lower fuel loads occurred at a stopover site with lusher vegetation than two oases located further south. By contrast, in species adapted to xerophilic vegetation, birds carrying high fuel loads were found in drier habitat. Conclusion When arriving in northern Africa, migrants stopover in oases of different habitat quality in a species-specific fashion. Fuel load is, except for a few Mediterranean species, sufficiently high to reac...

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus was detected in ticks removed from migratory birds in Morocco. This finding demonstrates the circulation of this virus in northwestern Africa and supports the hypothesis that the virus can be introduced into Europe by infected ticks transported from Africa by migratory birds.

During the winter, Bramblings Fringilla montifringilla are known for concentrating in huge communal roosts, normally situated along a NE–SW axis from west Russia to France in southern Europe. Irruptions of Bramblings in Iberia are rare and normally only in an attenuated form. Exceptionally, in November of 2010 a large roost of c 900,000 Bramblings formed in the Basque mountains of northern Iberia. We caught and ringed Bramblings from this roost from November 2010 to February 2011, and compared age and sex ratios, wing length and body mass to data reported in the literature. Overall, first-year birds comprised more than half the roost and the sex ratio in first-year birds was biased to females. This is in agreement with the prediction that first-year birds and females migrate to regions further south than males and adult birds. Wing length was constant across the season, but not body mass. Body mass was also negatively correlated with temperature and positively correlated with snowfall.

The pond slider (Trachemys scripta), an American species considered one of the most harmful invasives in the world, has spread worldwide to many regions, including the Iberian Peninsula, where it is able to reproduce. Therefore, many eradication campaigns are being held in several places and various methods of elimination and trap models have been tried. We present the Aranzadi Turtle Trap (ATT), which has been tested with great effectiveness in a fluvial backwater stretch of the Arga River in Pamplona. Along with the ATT other traps were utilized, but they did not yield any results, while the ATT captured at least 70% of the detected Trachemys. Other new records of pond slider in Navarre are reported.