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The 2017 IWSG Small Grants have been awarded!

We are pleased to announce that the Small Grants committee have awarded the 2017 grant. With the consent of the Executive Committee, we decided to award three grants in 2018, since there were many very good projects among the applications, and we hope to raise further awarness of the IWSG SMall Grants.

The following were awarded this year:

Christoph Himmel: On the migratory flyway in southern Azerbaijan, the group will be counting and colour ringing waders in order to get data on the migration connectivity of different species for the flyway. Satellite transmitters will be fitted to Black-tailed Godwits in order to reveal migration routes, wintering, and breeding areas of Central Asian population. This should help fill knowledge gaps of this population, contributing to the conservation priorities of the single species action plan.

Christoph Himmel regularly shares insights of his birding trips on the blog Birding Azerbaijan https://birdingaze.blogspot.fr. There a “Mixed flock of Kentish-, Ringed Plovers, Collared Pratincole and Little Stints.” © C. Himmel, posted in Oct. 2017 on Birding Azerbaijan.

Ralitsa Georgieva: More than 80% of Albania is mountains, therefore, almost all potential breeding sites for many waders’ species (e.g. Pied Avocet and Kentish Plover) are concentrated along coast of the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Aiming to give better understanding of the condition of breeding waders in Albania and their main treats. This research could be a vital instrument for decision making and conservation actions.

 

Ralitsa Georgieva currently works at the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds on a Life+ project to restore and secure Long-term preservation of the Atanasovsko Lake Coastal Lagoon in Bulgaria. Above one of her study sites, the Salinas of Narta – Bulgaria, were Pied Avocet and Kentish Plover breeds, ©Ralitsa Georgieva. Follow Ralitsa on ReasearchGate at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ralitsa_Georgieva4.

Sriman Delip Kumar Das: Aimiming to explore the unexplored islands and mudflats of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta, recognized as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by Birdlife International. The objectives are to conduct shorebird survey in unexplored islands and intertidal mudflats, identify roosting and foraging sites, assess the quality of intertidal mudflats and threats to the shorebirds and their habitat. This study is going to explore a part of the wintering population (estimated 50,000) that is yet unknown and has never been counted before.

 

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta was recognized as an IBA as wintering grounds of many globally threatened shorebirds including the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Delip Das was highly involved in the Bangladesh Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Project. He is presently assistant professor at the Department of Zoology of the Jagannath University – Bangladesh. Visit the Delip Das’s ResearchGate page at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Delip_Das. Picture: ©Wouter van der Ham.

 

The Small Grant Committee, International Wader Study Group