Bird Migration 2025!

Camp I started with a real challenge - we had hundreds of birds in the nets everyday, as October is usually the peak Migration period. With guidance from more experienced Volunteers and Ringers, first-timers promptly gained necessary bird extraction skills. This is the characteristic feature of our camps - everybody understands that we are here to learn and work and the project relies on it. The birds are always the priority.

- I've extracted about seventy birds today! - says Winter - This is a remarkable learning opportunity!

The most abundant were Goldcrests, Great Tits, Blue Tits and Coal Tits. We also had a Black Woodpecker, Lesser-Spotted Woodpecker, Greater-Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Wigeon, Long-tailed Tits, Blackbirds, Redwings, Song Thrushes and - in the night - Short and Long-Eared Owls.

The terrain added to the challenge - it was unusually wet this year, with swampy bits then the mud reaches up until your waist. We all needed to wear waders or rubber bib trousers.

After few days the migration calmed down and we felt somewhat awkward having some spare time between the checks! To use our time to the fullest, we went to the seashore, organized the Moth Party and visited Gdansk University Biology Department where we saw the archives of all 65 years of continuous research effort of Operation Baltic!