On 27-30 of July, students from Albania, Serbia and Montenegro participated on the Nocturnal
Migratory Bird Tracking Camp organized by the Center for Protection and Research of Birds in
Montenegro (CZIP). The aim of this camp was capacity-building in the field of telemetry for avian
research.

This time, the nocturnal birds were the focus of the camp, namely the Eurasian stone-curlew (Burhinus
oedicnemus). This species prefers dry open, stony or sandy, habitats with little vegetation such as the
Ćemovsko Field in Montenegro – a rare steppe-like habitat in Europe where the camp’s activities took
place.

The camp program included theoretical sessions, which consisted of presentations on different methods
for catching birds as well as transmitter deployment, and practical sessions during the evening hours,
where the students had the opportunity to see in action the different catching methods. The
participants had the great chance to learn from the experience and knowledge of the skilled Slovenian
ornithologist, Tomaž Mihelič.

The camp activities concluded with the fitting of a transmitter on a Stone-curlew individual. Thanks to
this transmitter, researchers will now be able to receive valuable information about the movements,
habits and ecology of the species. Moreover, capacity building-wise, this will prove to be an immensely
valuable experience for everyone involved.

This camp was organized within the frame of the Birds Without Borders – Phase II project funded by the
Western Balkans Fund and European Union, under the Call for Regional Project Proposals “Support to
the Promotion of Civil Society regional activities in the Western Balkans”.