OF BIRDS WINTERING AT BARR AL HIKMAN REVEALED
Dr Andy Kwarteng, Director of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems Research Centre, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), has given a talk on geospatial analysis of the migration of birds wintering at Barr Al Hikman in Oman. The talk was organised by the Office of the Deputy ViceChancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research at SQU.
As part of The Research Council (TRC) sponsored project, researchers from SQU and NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research are tracking the migration of birds wintering at Barr Al Hikman using GPS devices fitted on the birds. The study is the first of its kind to track the migration crab plover and bar-tailed godwits within the West Asian-East African flyway.
Dr Andy Kwarteng said that bird migration is one of the most enthralling aspects of avian world that has fascinated humankind for a long time. “Migratory birds may travel several hundred to thousand kilometres to breed and return to warmer conditions in the fall. Monitoring the migration routes and the consistency of birds’ time could be a major indicator of any potential local, regional or global climate change. Such studies provide crucial information about where birds go and how they survive outside the breeding season. The twice-a-year migration from overwintering to breeding sites and the return trip occur all over the world in wellestablished routes or the flyways. Migration of shorebirds in the West Asian-East African flyway is poorly understood compared to other flyways. Water birds are good indicators of the status of the overall ecological status of wetlands,” he said.
Barr Al Hikman is a vast pristine coastal wetland in the Sultanate and is one of world’s most undisturbed tropical ecosystems. This area supports a large number of shorebirds and benthic invertebrates and is a safe foraging place for turtles and a nursery ground for fishes.
“With our study we aim for an advanced understanding of the ecological processes that are shaping this unique system. By sharing our results we hope to raise awareness of the international importance of ecosystems such as Barr Al Hikman,” Dr Kwarteng said.
More than one million migratory shorebirds visit Barr Al Hikman every year. Half of the species are long-distance migrants. The area is home to shorebirds that fly to different breeding locations. So far, the scientists conducted migration studies on two species of birds wintering at Barr Al Hikman; these are the crab plover and the bar-tailed godwit. Bar-tailed godwit is known to breed on the Artic coasts and tundra in Europe and Asia and spend the winters on the coast of tropical and temperate regions including Oman, Australia and New Zealand.
A recent survey at Barr Al Hikman in January 2016 counted 60,000 winter visitors accounting for approximately 60 per cent of the flyway population. A team of professional bird catchers caught 10 bar-tailed godwits, ringed and fitted them with five gram Solar Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs) in November 2015.
According to Dr Kwarteng, studying about birds and their migration patterns offers a number of benefits to society and the country in general. From the conservation point of view, by studying about the stopovers and wintering locations, measures can be taken to protect and save these key locations.
“Climate change and global warming influence the routes of many migratory birds and their annual migration rhythm. Many migratory birds may change their routes, shorten or cancel their journey because of changing temperatures and other adverse conditions. Hence, research helps us to understand more about trends in global warming and measures to counter it. From an economic point of view, bird watching can help eco-tourism fly high. Bird watching-based tourism is growing rapidly across the world. An increasing number of birdwatchers are travelling to long haul destinations to spot new birds that cannot be seen in their own country or region. Oman, which is now looking for economic diversification, can capitalise on this growing market, by offering what birdwatchers require including accessibility, infrastructure, quality of birdlife, and knowledgeable guides,” he noted.