The Chukh Bird Research Station’s second monitoring year was successfully completed and “Annual report – 2020” in English is now available. In 2020 monitoring year, the research team had observed a total of 6512 individuals of 40 species and ringed 268 individuals of 26 species of shorebirds in Chukh Lake, Eastern Mongolia.
Releasing 5 individuals of Asian Dowitcher after ringing them, in spring, at Chukh lake © Chukh Bird Research station
According to the result, some of the species which were commonly ringed at Chukh Lake are in the IUCN Red List under regional or international categories: Black-tailed Godwit is assessed as regionally of Least Concern but Globally Near Threatened and the Asian Dowitcher is assessed as regionally Vulnerable but Near Threatened globally.
Black-tailed Godwit is one of the commonly observed and ringed species at the Chukh Lake. Their peak migration period is in the last two weeks in May during Spring migration season, and in the first week of August in Autumn.
In 2020, the research team ringed a total of 31 individuals of Black-tailed Godwits and three of them were slightly larger than the other 28 individuals based on all the biometric measurements, especially for bill length and body weight. An average bill length of the other 28 individuals was 72.8mm (N=28), but an average bill length of these 3 larger individuals were 107.2mm (N=3) which was too long for other normal individuals. And also the average body weight of the other 28 godwits was 198.2g (N=28) but the average body weight of the larger 3 godwits was 264.4g (N=3) which is too heavy for others. It is suggested that these three birds may be of the new sub-species Limosa limosa bohaii, which was recently confirmed by genetic research (Zhu et al, 2020).
New discovered subspecies Limosa.l.bohaii © Chukh Bird Research Station
Asian Dowitcher has been observed and ringed in both seasons, however more individuals have been observed and ringed in 2020 compared with 2019. There were 256 individuals has been observed in the Lake and 30 individuals has been ringed in 2020, however 15 individuals has been observed and, 6 individuals were ringed in 2019. Their migration was highly active between late July to early August, in autumn in Chukh Lake.
Asian Dowitcher at Chukh lake © Chukh Bird Research Station
Chukh Bird Research Station is open for all kinds of cooperation and volunteering. Please click [here] to download the report.
Prepared by “Chukh” Bird Research Station, in Mongolia
Contact to Mongolian Bird Conservation Center:
Email: info@mbcc.mn;
Website: www.mbcc.mn;
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Chukh-Bird-Research-Station-526659831202257h
