Turkey lies on one of major migratory routes between Palearctic and Afrotropical regions.Despite its importance for many species, few studies exist on bird migration over Turkey. In this study, autumn migration dynamics and stopover behaviour of Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), a small insectivorous passerine, was documented and analyzed at Manyas KuScenneti National Park (northwestern Turkey). Birds were mistnetted, ringed, measured, weighed and fat-scored from mid August in 2002 and end of August in 2003 to end of October in both years. Totally 543 and 929 Willow Warblers were ringed in 2002 and 2003 respectively. For 2002 and 2003 respectively, fat score values (mean&plusmn / SE) are 4.63&plusmn / 0.06 and 3.84&plusmn / 0.05 and body mass values are 11.38&plusmn / 0.07 and 10.37&plusmn / 0.05 grams for birds captured the first time.Fat scores in 2003 show a bimodal distribution with peaks of T2 and T5, indicating populations or age classes with different migratory strategies.The number of retraps constituted 9.2-12.1 % of the total in 2002 and 2003. In both years,minimum stopover length ranged from 1 to 15 or 16 days with a median of 5 days. The majority of the retraps put on significant fat in both years. Retraps continued to put on weight for up to two weeks after they arrived. In this first ever study documenting passerine migration at Manyas KuScenneti National Park, it was revealed that such wetlands provide crucial stopover habitat for many migrant passerines, enables them to gain necessary fat loads before crossing two ecological barriers,the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara.

Turkey is on the main migratory route for many bird species although especially passerine migration is little known. The objective of this study is to document and analyze the diversity, abundances, daily and seasonal phenologies of migrating passerines at METU as well as compare seasonal phenologies with those obtained at Manyas KuScenneti(Balikesir) and Cernek(Samsun) stations. The study covers autumn 2001, spring and autumn 2002 migration seasons. Methodology is based on the capture and ringing of passerines. In the first two seasons, intermittent sampling was the rule, but in autumn 2002 the study was continuous throughout the day and the season. Totally 1,832 individuals of 60 passerine species were ringed. Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) and Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) were the two most common species. Blackcap dominates species composition in autumn seasons with a very high percentage (%33). Daily captures peaked in the early morning and with a smaller peak one hour before the sunset. Several waves of migrants were detected in autumn 2002, with most peaks in close correlation with those recorded at Cernek station, indicating some connection between migrant populations using both sites for stopover. Fat depositon rates showed at least Yalincak is a high quality stopover site for most migrant species since many species gained weight up to around 50% within a period of 10 days. This is the first study documenting passerine migration in Turkey, and it revealed that small wooded landscapes within less hospitable habitats provide crucial stopover habitat for many migrant passerines.

Many bird populations are known to show strong territoriality as well as high site fidelity during breeding. The Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is one of many such migratory species that annually occupies the same favourable habitat. Especially dominant males prefer to breed in the same area every year, and high fidelity probably assures high breeding success. This study aims to investigate breeding biology, population size and spatial distribution of nightingales at a small area in Yalincak within the METU campus grounds (Ankara, Turkey). From 2003 to 2005, birds were captured and marked with metal or colour rings or radio tags for monitoring. Analyses were carried out on 77 individuals, including ringing data from the previous two years. Phenology of the study population was characterized by early arrival of males in late April, followed one week later by females. Nesting immediately followed and the first young fledged in early June. Second broods were also recorded. Most birds apparently left for the south within August. The population in the 2.65 ha large area was estimated to be about 20-25 individuals. However, only 2-4 breeding territories were present and a large proportion of floaters existed. Territory sizes were smaller than reported elsewhere. Annual survival rate was 0.424 &amp / #61617 / 0.121. Contrary to previous knowledge, taxonomically the Yalincak population belonged to subspecies africana although more westerly subspecies could be recorded during migration. This study revealed the importance of small but productive biotopes as important breeding habitats for passerines. It also showed that a few highly successful individuals may contribute out of proportion to the next generation.