APB-BirdLife Belarus
invites volunteers to participate in the aquatic warbler counts 2011. The total
area of AW breeding sites in Belarus is at about 190 km2.
Representative data on numbers of this globally threaten species can
only be obtained with a help of a big number of skilled volunteers .
Name of
hosting organization:
APB-BirdLife
Belarus
Where and
When:
Counts will take
place at Aquatic Warbler
breeding sites in Brest region (SW Belarus) according the
schedule below:
1st Session
Place: Zvaniec mire and Sporava
mire
Arrival: 20th of
May 2011
Duration: up to 10 days
Deadline for applications: 2nd
of May 2011
2nd Session
Place: Sporava mire
Arrival: 1st of
June 2011
Duration: up to 2 weeks
Deadline for applications: 2nd
of May 2011
3rd Session
Place: Zvaniec mire and Prostyr
Arrival: 28th of
June 2011
Duration: 1 week
Deadline for applications: 10th
of May 2011
Requirements to participants:
- General skills
in bird identification and mapping. You only need to be able to
tell Sedge Warbler from
Aquatic Warbler by sound;
- Use of hand-held
GPS unit;
- Physical
fitness, as lots of walking and
wading
in wet terrain is required;
- Have no major health
problems;
- Be 18 years old or older.
What’s in
it for You:
Taking part in AW
counts in Belarus gives you opportunity to visit the biggest
open fen mires of Europe and enjoy their unique biodiversity.
You will learn a lot about Aquatic Warblers and get a chance to
do some great birding in your spare time and during your work.
You will get to know the work of a BirdLife Partner in Belarus:
a teem of experienced ornithologists from APB and from The
National Academy of Sciences of Belarus will work together with
you during the counts. ABP will assist in applying for a visa
and will guide you through other formalities.
Cost
estimates:
|
Item
|
Approximate cost, EUR
|
Who pays
|
|
Participation fee |
none |
|
|
Travel to Minsk and back by
train*
|
40-200
|
You
|
|
Belarusian visa*
|
60
|
You
|
|
Medical insurance
|
0,5 per day
|
You
|
|
Registration and border zone permission
|
10
|
You
|
|
Travel from Minsk or Brest to project sites
|
|
APB
|
|
Local travels
|
|
APB
|
|
Accommodation:
in tents
in farm steads
|
free
15 per day
|
-
You
|
|
Subsistence
|
12
per day
|
APB
|
|
Equipment
|
None
|
GPS for
mapping of birds and radios will be provided by APB.
Personal
GPS could be brought just for orientation in the field.
|
*Only averaged costs are given. Factual costs will vary
from country to country.
Period of
staying?
We recommend a
minimum stay of 1 week, best would be 2 weeks. The core
Aquatic Warbler breeding season is from 10 May till 20 July. The
field work will take place between 20th May and 10th July 2011.
What work
will be involved?
Field work: travel
to and location of plots using GPS, Aquatic Warbler counting.
All the methodology is already set-up and the plots selected.
Long hours will be spent in the field.
What are
the hours of work and on which days of the week?
The counts will be
carried out any day of the week according to standardized
methodology starting one hour before the sunset finishing one
hour after it. Taking into consideration the area of the mires
each count could take up to 6 hours.
Living
arrangements?
Field conditions
or private accommodation nearby.
Is it
family-friendly?
No, unless you can
arrange a separate family programme alongside.
How you can participate?
Please, complete
Volunteer Application.
Supplemental information for
participants.
Applying for a visa.
Staying in
a field.
Monitoring report 2010.
Results of counts 2010 are presented in the report. Maps and pictures
of project sites as well as pictures of people who took part in the counts could
be found in the annex.
Pictures and comments from counts 2009.
Two ecologists from the UK took
part in the AW counts 2009 and shared impressions at their blog.
Lots of places apart from AW sites were visited during their
long staying in Belarus.
For more information,
contact:
Uladzimir
Malashevich
BirdLife/CMS
International Aquatic Warbler Conservation Officer
APB-BirdLife
Belarus
P.O.Box 81,
Minsk, 220023 BELARUS
Phone: +375 29
3494165
fax: +375 17
2650811
e-mail:
|
Counting
Aquatic Warblers.
Photo: Aleg
Sozinau
Searching for
Red list Orchids.
Photo: Pia Reufsteck
Observing
Greater Spotted Eagle.
Photo: Pia Reufsteck
Location of AW
breeding sites in Belarus.
Prepared by:
Uladzimir Malashevich
|
Location of AW
breeding sites in Belarus.
Prepared by:
Uladzimir Malashevich
