Exceptional Days on Ponza!

Between the end of April and the first days of May, Ponza experienced one of the most intense migration periods of the last decades. Favoured by persistent stable weather conditions, with sunny days and little wind, the island was affected by a continuous and massive flow of migrants, with exceptional numbers recorded almost every day.

The first days of this period were mainly dominated by wood warblers and whitethroats, which accounted for the majority of the captures. Alongside these impressive numbers, however, several remarkable observations were made, including numerous golden orioles, woodchat shrikes, nightjars and kestrels, together with a notable diversity of colourful and typically Mediterranean species.

The 30th of April represented one of the most extraordinary moments of the entire season: with 1,721 individuals ringed, it became the third most intense migration day recorded in the last 26 years of activity at the station. The massive arrival of birds was so overwhelming that the team, composed of around twenty experienced ringers and volunteers, was forced to temporarily close all nets in order to safely manage the captured individuals. Garden warbler, whitethroat and icterine warbler dominated the day, although accompanied by exceptionally high biodiversity.

In the following days, migration showed no sign of slowing down. Both the 1st and the 5th of May exceeded one thousand ringed individuals, confirming an extraordinary spring migration season in quantitative terms. Among the most remarkable species observed during this period were collared flycatcher, wryneck, scops owl, nightjar and numerous golden orioles, while garden warbler progressively became the dominant species.

Particularly significant was also the record catch of woodchat shrike, with more than twenty individuals ringed in a single day, the highest number ever recorded at the station. Several interesting international recoveries were also recorded, including garden warblers ringed in Belarus and Lithuania, highlighting the importance of Ponza as a strategic stopover site along Euro-Mediterranean migratory routes.

After more than 6,000 individuals ringed in a single week, a few quieter days finally allowed the team to recover some energy and carry out maintenance on the equipment. Nevertheless, even during calmer periods, migration remained active and species-rich.

Overall, these days represent one of the most exceptional periods in the recent history of the Ponza ringing station, both in terms of the number of individuals observed and the extraordinary species diversity recorded.