This study aims to contribute to an update of the key concepts document for Art 7(4) which is the official text adopted today by the EU regulations for the determination of hunting seasons.
More specifically, the research aims to determine the current starting dates of the pre-nuptial migration of ducks and waterfowl through Italy. Every ten days, a counting of birds in a sample of Italian wetlands has been conducted during the period from January to February.
This is done by approx. 30 hunters on 30 sites, 3 times each month from January to February, in total 6 countings (1 per decade). If the sample is large enough, it would also be possible to determine the starting date of the migration in some macro-regions (e.g. North Central South) of Italy.
This project is conducted to get reliable information on migration period, to be then used as technical data for hunting period determination. The initiative is included in ACMA panel activities, like e.g. census of black-pellied plover and plover, analysis of ducks wings, counts of annual ducks and coot game bags.
Country: Italy
Starting date: 2013
Species characteristics: Huntable species, Migratory species
Type of actions: Research and data collection
Leading partners: ACMA ASSOCIAZIONE CACCIATORI MIGRATORI ACQUATICI (http://www.federcaccia.org/associazione_news_show.php?idn=147&id_associazione=1)FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA DELLA CACCIA UFFICIO AVIFAUNA MIGRATORIA (http://www.federcaccia.org/avifauna_migratoria.php)
