EDP Foz-Tua: Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura) (transects) - Ecological Monitoring Program [2011-12]

Study Extent

The data were collected in a main area of roughly 4x4 km around the mouth of river Tua and in a subsidiary area located upstream, closer to Mirandela, with favorable habitat conditions for the species (Northeast Portugal), up to 45 km from the mouth, in the municipalities of Alijó, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Mirandela and Vila Flor.

Sampling

Sampling was designed to cover the main known or potential habitats for the Black Wheatear along the lower Tua valley affected by the Foz-Tua dam (the mouth) and upstream. A total of seven line transects was established in the selected area, covering the most important habitats for the species (vineyards and traditional olive-orchards). All transects were sampled once in the winter and 1-2 times in the reproductive period (spring), in the early morning or late afternoon. Each transect was walked on foot at a constant speed of 1-2 km/h and lasted no less than 30 minutes. Playback songs were used to locate the territorial (and vagrant) birds. Species identification and assessment of age and sex (when possible) were made “in loco”.

Quality Control

All identifications were performed by qualified technicians.

Method steps

1. To be completed

The taxonomic coverage of this dataset spans 1 phylum, 1 class, 1 order, 3 families, 4 genera and 4 species.

1. Aves
   rank: class
2. Passeriformes
   rank: order
3. Muscicapidae
   rank: family
4. Motacillidae
   rank: family
5. Oriolidae
   rank: family

The data were collected within an area of roughly 4x4 km around the mouth of the River Tua (Northeast Portugal), up to 45 km from the mouth, in the municipalities of Alijó, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Vila Flor and Mirandela.