2019

Fabian Schneider

Green Village Danube Delta Bird Ringing Camp

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Information - Spring 2019 We search, by period: maximum 3 motivated persons between March 25th and May 28th, 2019. People

without experience in ringing could apply only for at least 3 weeks.

Note that the number of places is limited. So, a selection will be made and long-staying people, as well as

experimented ones, will be favored (especially during the busiest period: mid-April to mid-May).

During the week between May 13th and 19th, a formation will be given to future ringers, ringers but also

students working with wild birds.

More information on: http://danubebirdringing.wordpress.com/edition2019/course/

General Information For people who come from the European community, an identity card is enough for going in Romania. For

the other people ask the Romania embassy in your country.

Bird Ringing Camp The camp takes place near Sfântu Gheorghe (region Tulcea) in the eastern Romanian part of the Danube

Delta. It will be the sixth season (third in spring) of migration studying there after 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014

and 2016. During these five years, about 33'000 birds were ringed from about 130 species.

More than 270 bird species were observed around Sfântu Gheorghe during the different ringing campaign

including many rare species for Romania that could be mentioned during spring : 1 capture of Taiga

Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla (1st record for Romania), 2 captures of Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus

dumetorum (1st and 2nd for Romania), 2 captures of Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides (7th and 8th

for Romania), 1 capture of Eastern Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans (ca.10th for Romania), also 1

observation of Caspian Stonechat Saxicola maurus hemprichii (5th for Romania).

In spring, the place is known for having hosted some over-shooted birds from Eastern Mediterranean Basin

like Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus, Rüppell’s Warbler Sylvia ruppelli or Eastern Subalpine Warbler

Sylvia cantillans.

Out of these vagrancies, the region of

Sfântu Gheorghe holds several

interesting species like Pygmy

Cormorants Microcarbo pygmeus,

Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus,

White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla,

Pallas's Gull Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus,

European roller Coracias garrulus,

Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus

agricola or Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Iduna pallida. Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala, Sf. Gheorghe, May 2014 (F. Schneider)

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How to reach Sfântu Gheorghe Sfântu Gheorghe (jud. Tulcea, Romania) is a small village of about 800 inhabitants located in the mouth of

Sfântu Gheorghe branch of the Danube. The village is only accessible by boat (from Tulcea or Mahmudia)

and it has remained rather well preserved.

Map of Romania (above, www.ezilon.com) and map of the Danube Delta with Sfântu Gheorghe (below, Google map)

Danube Delta

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Discover Sfântu Gheorghe and the Danube Delta with this nice small video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxbWITDblww

By train One of the best transports for going in Romania is the train, departure all days.

The best is to reach Bucharest (Bucuresți Nord) and then to take the minibus to Tulcea with “Augustin” (see

below: Bus Bucharest – Tulcea).

It takes, for example, 27-29 hours of travel from Zürich (CH) for a cost of ca. 300€ (single and return) via

Wien (A) or Budapest (H).

More information on the website www.bahn.de or ask directly at the rail station.

By bus The other possibility is the bus. There are lines from the main European cities to Bucharest (or to Tulcea).

It is one of the cheapest alternatives to reach Romania. If you stopped in Bucharest take the bus to Tulcea

with “Augustin” (see below: Bus Bucharest – Tulcea).

It takes, for example, 35 hours of travel from Geneva (CH) for a cost of ca. 150€ (single and return).

More information on www.eurolines.com. Beware the busses doesn’t drive every day.

By airplane For environmental reasons, we don’t advise this kind of transport, but it’s faster, less expensive and

practical according where you live. For this, have a look to the companies which deserve Bucharest (Swiss,

Lufthansa, Austrian, KLM, Air France, etc.) or at the travel agencies. The best is to search with Google flight:

http://www.google.ch/flights?lite=0#flt=/m/03902.OTP.2019-04-15*OTP./m/03902.2019-05-

15;c:CHF;e:1;sd:1;t:f.

From the Airport take a bus 780 to the Gara de Nord (Bucuresți Nord). You can find the timetable here:

http://stbsa.ro/pdf_statii/780/780_50.pdfe. An alternative is to take a taxi directly to the bus station

“Autogara Augustin”.

Bus Bucharest - Tulcea From the “Autogara Augustin” bus station take a minibus to Tulcea. They drive every day (according to the

timetable, see below). The duration is 4 hour and 30 minutes and it costs about 70 RON the single ticket.

7:00, 9:00, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 16:00, 17:30, 19:00 (http://www.autogari.ro/Transport/Bucuresti-Tulcea)

The company is “Autogara

Augustin”. The departure location

is located at Calea Plevnei nr.242A

(in front of the Carrefour

Orhideea, see map).

Bus Tulcea - Bucharest For the return, it’s the same as for

the single way. The station is in

front of the landing stage, near the

railway station. The buses drive

according the timetable below.

3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:30, 17:00 (http://www.autogari.ro/Transport/Tulcea-Bucuresti)

Autogara Augustin

Bucuresti Nord

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By car For an optimal ride look at www.viamichelin.fr/. The best is to park in MAHMUDIA (there is a guarded car

park) and to take the boat that navigates form Tulcea to Sf. Gheorghe. The boat stops about one hour after

leaving Tulcea. (Check on http://www.navromdelta.ro/program-nave/).

From Tulcea to Sfântu Gheorghe The village is accessible only by boat (beware of people whose propose you to bring you at the village,

saying that it has no more boat… That’s can cost you until 200€!). Ask at the office!

If you must sleep in Tulcea; a good choice is to go to the Hotel Insula (http://www.hotelinsula.com/). It is a

good value for money and it is well located near the bus, train and boat station.

One-way The duration of the journey is about 3 hours with the fast boat and 5 hours with the slow boat. The prices

are 60 RON (fast boat: catamaran) and 48 RON (slow boat: nave classica). They leave from Tulcea at 13:30

and the boarding is at 12:30. The boats don’t navigate every day, so look at the timetable on the website:

http://www.navromdelta.ro/program-nave/. Until April 30 the boat leaves Tulcea on Monday, Wednesday

and Friday. After this date, they will be more boats during the week, so it’s advice to check it before you

leave.

Return The boats leave Sfântu Gheorghe at 7:00 with boarding at 6:00. For the timetable look on

http://www.navromdelta.ro/program-nave/. It’s possible to buy the ticket the day before. Until April 30

the boat leaves Sf. Gheorghe on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. After this date, they will be more boats

during the week.

N

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Where is the camp? Arrived at the landing stage go direct on the right and follow the way on the dam. When you reach the

extreme east of the village you will see big houses and a military base, after ca.850 meters. You just arrived,

so turn left on the bridge and announced yourself at the reception of the Green Village Resort.

Theoretically we will try to pick you directly at the boat arrival.

According to your journey, the arrival day can be modified by 1-2

days, compared to your inscription.

Camp cost A little financial support is requested (see the table below) for the food and lodging. We favour the long

stays. This little financial support cover lodging, three meals a day (breakfast, small lunch on the field and

dinner in the restaurant), ringing material. Alcoholic beverages are not included, as well as the journey to

Sfântu Gheorghe or extra (for example a lunch in the restaurant).

The fee doesn’t cover all the costs of the camp, so donations are always welcome.

Duration Price* Duration Price*

1 week 40 € (5.70 € per day) 1 month 120 € (4.00€ per day)

2 weeks 75 € (5.35 € per day) 2 months 150 € (2.50 € per day)

3 weeks 100 € (4.75 € per day)

The exacted price of your stay will be individually announced. For paying this, the best is to pay it before

your arrival by bank transfer. But you can, also, pay it directly when you arrive at the camp.

Tulcea

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Camp works

General The work in the camp could be rather intense and we ask to everybody to give the necessary effort for each

task to run properly the station. The terrain is rather difficult to move (sand and wetlands) and the walking

can be long, so it is imperative to be in GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION.

Don't forget your OPTICAL MATERIAL, a HEADLAMP for the night working and a pair of WELLINGTON BOOTS (work

in the wetland).

Day works Every day (except in case of really bad weather), we will catch

birds with nets. The station will be located a few hundred

meters from our sleeping place.

The rounds are done every hour or half-hour from the dawn,

for at least 7 hours. After closing the nets (if we closed them),

you can do what you want (have a rest, birdwatching, walking,

reading, …).

The camp will be partly in wetlands, so wellington boots are essential.

Common life Everybody is kindly requested to do the housework (washing dishes, cooking, cleaning).

For reasons of good works, alcohol is inadvisable during the working hours, but you are allowed to drink

reasonably in the evening when the work is over. The participants are requested to listen to the advices

and recommendations of the person in charge of the camp. Everybody who doesn’t respect the rules, could

be asked to leave the camp (something that rarely happened yet, and we hope that it won’t be the case

this season).

To finish, take your good temper and motivation. We hope to spend a good time with you at Sfântu

Gheorghe ;-) !

Weather condition during the season During all the season, we advise to take clothes again the rain and hot clothes (particularly in March-April).

March-April The temperatures could change a lot between cold nights (<0°C) and pleasant days. The wind could be also

very strong and cold. We advise to take warm clothes, especially water and wind-proof. The sun can be

strong, so take some sun protections.

May May could be variable. The day temperature could be pleasant, but the night could be rather cold.

It could be hot (sometime more than 25°C) and often sunny. Don’t forget sun protections (hat, sun cream,

etc.) Take also your bath clothes

(sea is very close to the camp).

In this period, there are a lot of

mosquitoes, so take some insect

repellent (especially after mid-

May).

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Infrastructure All activities take place outside, so, be ready for all weather conditions…

We will have two cottages with 2 beds in the Green Village Resort. The hotel has all commodities: toilets,

shower, electricity, Wi-Fi.

The study area will be located near the hotel (less than 1km). We will take our breakfast and our lunch in

the field where we ring the birds. The dinner will be given in the restaurant of the hotel.

The Green Village Resort (above), with an example of cottage where we will sleep (below)

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There are some shops and a bank with an ATM and a change office, located 1km away from the camp.

Shop and bank (source : http://calatoriicucopii.blogspot.ch)

Tasks and conditions

Ringer in charge

Tasks

To ring birds, to manage the working team (scientific works as well as community works).

Conditions

To stay for at least one month, to hold a ringing license, to have excellent knowledge in bird ringing as well

in team work management.

« Second-hand » ringer

Tasks

To ring birds (more or less irregularly, for example during big day), to manage the working team (like birds

extracting), to help the responsible ringer(s).

Conditions

To hold a ringing license, to have good knowledge in bird ringing.

Ringer trainee

Tasks

To improve with bird ringing methods with an experimented ringer, otherwise same tasks as « helper ».

Conditions

To have good knowledge in extracting bird out of the nets and of general working of a ringing station, to

intend to obtain a ringing license.

Helper

Tasks

To extract birds out of the nets, to accomplish various community tasks (cooking, washing dishes, shopping,

etc.…).

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Rules I commit to …

1. To ensure my own safety and that of other participants of the camp. The organizers cannot be held

responsible.

2. To respect instructions given by ringer(s) in charge.

3. To behave in better with other participants, villagers, employees and guests of the hotel.

4. To work for an optimal functioning of the camp.

5. To pay the amount (fee for food) corresponding to the duration of my stay (see chapter “Camp

cost”).

Money In general, the change is better in Romania then in other countries. The currency is the Leu (RON).

Rate of exchange: 4.66 RON = 1 €; 1 RON = 0.21€; 1 RON = 4.14 CHF; 1 CHF = 0.24 RON (January 2019)

There is a bank with ATM and change office in the village.

Sanitary Sf. Gheorghe has a modern dispensary in case of major problems. We’ll have the necessary medicines to

cure headache, diarrhoea and other small diseases directly at the ringing camp.

We strongly recommend participants to take out a travel insurance allowing foreign assistance.

There are also a lot of mosquitoes in the delta during summer, so take insect repellent if you don't want to

be bitten.

For each participant, you should bring a blood group card and the medicine you need to take in case of

allergy or other diseases.

More advises for travels http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/fr/home/travad.html or in the department of the Foreign Affairs in your

country.

Contact person

For more details or questions, contact Fabian Schneider, project Leader: By mail: emberiza@hotmail.com By phone: +41797213956 (also WhatsApp number) Official website: http://danubebirdringing.wordpress.com

Registration form: http://danubebirdringing.wordpress.com/registration-form/

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Birding spots in Eastern Romania Here is briefly presented some good birding places out of the Danube Delta or in its vicinity.

Lake of Murighiol and Lake of Plopul The two lakes located west of Murighiol are interesting for gulls (like Pallas’s Gull Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus),

waders (including Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola), ducks and geese in winter (especially Red-

breasted Goose Branta ruficollis). Please, don’t go to near the shore to avoid disturbances.

Location : https://maps.google.ch/?ll=45.032137,29.132738&spn=0.020684,0.048795&t=h&z=15

Mănăstirea Celic-Dere The surroundings of this beautiful monastery are probably one of the best places to look for Sombre Tit

Poecile lugubris. The forest around also holds numerous woodpeckers.

Location: https://maps.google.ch/?ll=45.127744,28.580332&spn=0.02065,0.048795&t=h&z=15

Sombre Tit Poecile lugubris (F. Schneider)

Babadag Babadag forest and its region hold many raptors (Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca, Lesser Spotted Eagle

Aquila pomarina or Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes, Saker Falcon Falco cherrug). The forest is a

good spot for Sombre Tit Poecile lugubris. It’s possible to observe Isabelline Wheater Oeananthe isabellina

in the meadow between Babadag and the forest. The fortress of Enisala worth a detour. Also, an interesting

region for Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis in winter.

Location : https://maps.google.ch/?ll=44.883607,28.792076&spn=0.082951,0.195179&t=h&z=13

Cheia The surrounding of Cheia are good for Wheater (Pied W. Oenanthe pleschanka and Black-eared W.

Oenanthe hispanica) and for raptors.

Location :

https://maps.google.ch/maps?hl=fr&ll=44.509238,28.431072&spn=0.083489,0.195179&sll=44.514869,28

.43914&sspn=0.166962,0.390358&t=h&z=13

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Vadu The wetland and steppe around Vadu are good places for numerous water birds including the rare Black-

winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni. It is maybe one of the best places to watch bird in eastern Romania.

Location : https://www.google.ch/maps/@44.4419739,28.7546328,2260m/data=!3m1!1e3

Lake Techirghiol The western part of this lake located South of Constanta hold many wintering ducks (like the rare White-

headed duck Oxyura leucocephala). The region is also interesting for some species which reach the northern

part of their range there and for steppe species.

Location:

https://maps.google.ch/maps?hl=fr&ll=44.037751,28.597069&spn=0.084162,0.195179&sll=44.514869,28

.43914&sspn=0.166962,0.390358&t=h&z=13

Măcin Mountains National Park Maybe the best place in Romania to observe raptor migrations. Also, a good place for hill birds like Pied

Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka or Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis.

Location:

https://maps.google.ch/maps?q=M%C4%83cin+Mountains,+Tulcea,+Roumanie&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&ll=45.24

5887,28.196068&spn=0.082548,0.195179&sll=45.25285,28.13702&sspn=0.082538,0.195179&oq=macin+

moun&hnear=M%C4%83cin+Mountains&t=h&z=13