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The Twite Project - to place a "border bird" on the map.
The twite is likely to have had its swedish name (vinterhämpling) from that it is a bird that appers in the wintertime (Våra Svenska fåglar i Färg) even if there is a suspicion that the name, witch came in use after Rudbeck t.y:s Lapponic travel 1695, for a long time refered to the redpoll (Svenska fåglars namn, Tommy Tyrberg). Howewer, the twite much more documented as a migrator than a breeder. The Swedish Bird Atlas (1999. Svensk Fågelatlas) shows only 10 valid squares of account from witch only two (Kullaberg and Härjedalen) indicates breeding. Our race, the nominate f. flavirostris, is during summertime westerly orientated to costal areas in Norway and there mainly from Kristiansand in the south up to Trondheim. Its found more sporadicly partly in the mountain range and partly far north - maby even around the peninsula of Kola. A lesser quantity breeds in Finland and Russia. In its entirety it counts between 100 000 - 500 000 pairs (Swedish Bird Atlas).
We (Ulf & Lars) have over the years been involved in different projects in the north of Sweden and Ulf have had the pleasure of both finding nests and both ring ad and juv some 20 km:s W Abisko (2003: 17 of 23 juv from a local population of about 10 pairs). Those circumstanses made us make a decision to initiate a project that might, in the long run, contribute with a new pin of knowledge on the flawirostris map and open out into a elucidated species monography.
Our expectation is, to begin with, to estimate the essence of the Swedish breeding population, ascertain its breeding biology, its way's in and out of the land and its movements in the winter quarters. This implyes a serial of aimed ringingings and inventorys along the Scands. In the nexty step we hope to have binded some international contacts which with whomes contribution we via a.a.t DNA analysis, map the genealogich sircumstanses among the local groups of Scandinavia and those of Great Brittain, and along the line, a reserch of the relationship between the eastern and the western populations.
To be able to row this boat ashore we see afore us: * An editorial staff manned by 3-4 initiated persons who, maby two or tree times a year, compile that what have happened. The statements will be published in consecutive order in relevant magazines. The staff might have some helping locals for work releef. * For birdringers; repports delivered via Fagel2 with definitions of ringing achievements and assosiated documents (f.ex. ringing circumstanses in plain language).
Likely there will be a number of "spin-of"-projects according to the maping of the species occurence. We allready see a few: "Computer processing of earlyer published matherial", "How is ordonary net catch related to net catch with decoy bird / CD-player / tape recorder" (As well as with cave catch, fyke etc.). Depending on the progress of the project, wiewed over a decade, we imagin that people involved will take care of their nerbye recerch structure and economy, however reporting, under name, to the twite project.
Wellcome to the poject!
Ulf Molau & Lars Paterson |
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