A remarkable research project carried out in cooperation with the Bird Migration Research Station of the Faculty of Biology UG has been collecting data on bird migrations continuously for over 60 years!
The Baltic Action (Akcja Bałtycka) is a research programme currently under the scientific supervision of dr inż. Jarosław Nowakowski from the Bird Migration Research Station of the Faculty of Biology, UG, headed by dr hab. Magdalena Remisiewicz. As part of the project, scientific camps devoted to ringing migratory birds are held twice a year - in spring and autumn. This autumn, two field stations will be operating: on the Vistula Spit and in Dąbkowice near Dąbki (on Lake Bukowo). The camp on the Vistula Spit is scheduled from August 11 to November 3. The duration of the Bukowo camp depends on financial possibilities: at the moment, funding is secured for August 4 – September 29, but fundraising is underway to enable the project to continue until early November (anyone wishing to financially support the project can do so here).
The project is a global phenomenon, as it has been collecting bird migration data continuously for 60 years. It is the longest-running research programme of its kind in the world and a mine of invaluable knowledge about migratory bird populations, habits and routes.
The endeavour was initiated by a group of biology students at the University of Warsaw, among whom was later Professor Przemysław Busse. Prof. dr hab. Przemysław Busse was associated with the Faculty of Biology at the University of Gdańsk from 1979 to 2007 (until his retirement), where, together with a dedicated team of researchers, he carried out scientific and didactic activities. Currently, as professor emeritus, he remains the honorary chairman of Baltic Action.
The Baltic Action camps are an opportunity not only to contribute directly to science but also to have close contact with nature, gain invaluable field experience and learn from eminent specialists in the field of ornithology. Anyone wishing to take part in the bird ringing campaign is invited to read the regulations for the recruitment of volunteers, available here.