The Association of Naturalists of the Southeast (ANSE) has launched a new scientific ringing program for small passerine birds, this time on the Isla Grosa (declared a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA), registering mostly migratory birds that make the journey from the wintering quarters in Africa to the breeding areas in Europe.

The process consists of capturing these birds to apply a metal ring, with a return from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, and proceeding to release them. These are works carried out voluntarily, with the authorization of the General Directorate of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity of the Region of Murcia, the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

In this sense, the current campaign, which will be extended until the beginning of May, is the sixth to be carried out in spring on the island. It is a strategic space due to its location next to Cabo de Palos, a stopping place for birds that leave the African continent to cross the Mediterranean Sea, which allows an efficient study of the migration phenomenon. At the same time, the presence of professionals on this island contributes to the preservation of breeding seabird colonies.

ANSE has been studying this phenomenon on this island since 2007, which has allowed 10573 birds of 68 different species to be captured, recovering birds ringed on Isla Grosa in places such as Germany, Scotland or Sweden.

These activities include their results in the ‘Piccole Isole’ project, an initiative on ringing on Mediterranean islands where numerous coastal countries participate with the aim of studying the migration of these European birds.