5/5 In addition, a huge effort is made to protect the #critically #endangered southern #dunlin. With expertise of Vroni Rohr-Bender and others, 26 chicks got an advantage be growing up in our aviary, before they got released back in the meadows, hopefully successfully #boosting the #population.

And today her four chicks hatched. From now on she is Valkyria.

Yesterday, we found the nest of this blonde female. Three of her eggs were also exceptionally pale. #ornithology #waders

Yep. We use it for checking the existing rings and to avoid unecessary captures.

True, taking his afternoon nap.

Climate change in action: Went to check whether the chicks have hatched and found these. Almost ready to fledge. Three or four weeks too early.

To hide their eggs and themselves, females need grassy vegetation away from forest edges with high nest predator activity.

Male ruffs seek attention and prioritize areas of the meadow with slightly elevated spots and broad visibility.

A large part of these meadows is under intensive management. We recommend that managers preferably choose areas with the potential to create attractive short-growth habitats in elevated meadow sections that are safe from flooding. Narrow, elongated areas along shorelines should be avoided.

Our study species are critically endangered. That is why we sometimes made desperate attempts to lift dunlin nests onto the tops of earth piles or move ruff eggs to artificial incubators until the water receded. Some nests were saved by these measures, while others were not.

Due to the low-lying nature of the habitats, a rise of 40 cm above the mean sea level was the critical threshold after which flood losses increased steeply. This do not require stormy winds. Instead, moderate or strong wind against the shore, combined with low air pressure can cause such a rise.