Aquatic Warbler

05/10/2026

𝐀𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 🪶

Ringing season is almost over and before sharing with you this year's numbers of Aquatic Warblers, we want to take the time for acknowledgement.

Ringing activities would not be possible without the support of our dedicated volunteers. 🤝 Their work for the LIFE AWOM project helps us understand where Aquatic Warblers travel, where they stop, and which places they need along the way.

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 not only makes a meaningful contribution to the project, but also adds a vital dimension to this collaboration, helping to ensure that conservation knowledge, passion, and responsibility are passed on to the next generation: the future environmental stewards. 🌱

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭. 🌿

📸 Ringing stations in Spain & France

LIFE Programme ornithologique normand

10/09/2026

As part of the LIFE AWOM programme, in partnership with the Scientific Institute of Rabat, the BioSphère Environnement team carried out a field mission from 27 August to 4 September in the Sidi Moussa-Oualidia wetland complex, contributing to efforts to better document the post-nuptial migration of the Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) in Morocco.

Despite a particularly low number of bird captures during the mission, our teams were fortunate to capture and ring a juvenile Aquatic Warbler on 28 August.

This capture represents a remarkable record for Morocco, where information on the species during post-nuptial migration remains extremely scarce. The literature reports only nine historical post-nuptial records in Morocco between 1911 and 1998. More recently, ringing operations conducted at Larache between 2009 and 2013 resulted in the capture of 11 Aquatic Warblers. To our knowledge, this is also the first documented record of the species from the Sidi Moussa-Oualidia wetland complex.

🔎 Find the original post here: https://lnkd.in/p/eYzPfHCR

[LIFE AWOM – MOROCCO] As part of the LIFE AWOM programme, in partnership with the Scientific Institute of Rabat, the BioSphère Environnement team carried out a field mission from 27 August to 4 September in the Sidi Moussa-Oualidia wetland complex, contributing to efforts to better document the p...

31/08/2026

🎉 Meet 𝐇𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨, one of the first Aquatic Warblers helping us unlock the secrets of migration with new BlūBat tracking technology. 🐦💙

Follow us as we track his journey across two continents, from Europe to Africa as he makes his winter migration to the Western Sahel.

Using live detections from sensors across our project sites, we have already been able to follow his movements in unprecedented detail.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩, 𝐭𝐨𝐨! 🌍

Every detection matters and could help reveal the next chapter in Han Solo's adventure 🌐

📲 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐀𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚.

𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 🔗



LIFE Programme

31/08/2026

💙 I’m the chameleon among frogs!

Most of the year, I may look like an ordinary brown frog. But when spring arrives, something rather spectacular happens: the males can turn bright blue for the breeding season. 🔵🐸

I’m the Moor Frog (Rana arvalis), and this month I’m stepping into the spotlight as one of the many neighbours of the Aquatic Warbler.

I feel at home in wet meadows, fens, marshes and other damp landscapes, where shallow water provides important breeding places. 💦🌿

And that is where our stories meet.

The work carried out through to restore and protect healthy wetland habitats is not only about one rare bird. It also helps maintain homes for frogs like me — and countless insects, plants, birds and other wetland species.

Because species do not go extinct alone — and we don’t protect them alone either. 💚

31/08/2026

🕊️🌍 A habitat specialist — even on migration 🌿

Aquatic Warblers are now making their way south towards their wintering grounds in West Africa. But during this thousands-of-kilometers-long journey, they cannot simply stop anywhere. 💚

Just like at their breeding grounds, Aquatic Warblers are very picky about where they rest and refuel during migration.

So, what makes a good stopover site? 👀

🌾 Low, open vegetation
Aquatic Warblers prefer wetlands with vegetation less than 1 metre high — especially low, relatively sparse sedges and wet grasslands. Dense stands of tall reeds and cattails make it difficult for them to move around close to the ground.

💧 Wet, but not too deep
Waterlogged soil or shallow inundation is essential. Dry grasslands and areas overgrown with bushes are unsuitable — but so is deep water.

🕷️ Plenty of food
A good stopover site must be rich in large, protein-packed invertebrates such as dragonflies, moths, butterflies and spiders. This abundant food allows Aquatic Warblers to rapidly build up the fat reserves they need for the most challenging part of their journey — crossing the Sahara Desert. 🌍

Under good conditions, they can even double their body mass before taking on this enormous journey!

📍 Many of the most important stopover sites providing these conditions are found in coastal marshes, estuaries, lagoons and river floodplains in France and Spain.

So when we talk about protecting the Aquatic Warbler, protecting its breeding grounds is only part of the story. To complete its incredible migration, this tiny traveller needs a whole network of healthy, wet and food-rich wetlands along the way. 💧🌾🔗

Every stop matters. Every wetland matters. 💚

26/08/2026

🕊️🌍 Aquatic Warbler or Sedge Warbler — can you tell them apart? 👀🌿

Autumn migration is in full swing, and so is our annual campaign to follow the journey of the world’s rarest migratory songbird.

Among the many small brown warblers moving through Europe’s wetlands, one is especially important to look out for: the Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola). 💛

It can look remarkably similar to the much more common Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) — so even experienced birdwatchers may hesitate.

🔍 Swipe through the graphics to discover the key features that can help you tell them apart.

One of the most important clues is right on top of the bird’s head. Can you spot it?
Every correct identification and reported observation helps us better understand the Aquatic Warbler’s migration and protect this globally threatened species. 💧
🌾

📍 Have you ever spotted an Aquatic Warbler during migration?
Share your observation with us and join ! 📨

26/08/2026

🕊️🌍 Aquatic Warbler or Sedge Warbler — can you tell them apart? 👀🌿

Autumn migration is in full swing, and so is our annual campaign to follow the journey of the world’s rarest migratory songbird.

Among the many small brown warblers moving through Europe’s wetlands, one is especially important to look out for: the Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola). 💛

It can look remarkably similar to the much more common Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) — so even experienced birdwatchers may hesitate.

🔍 Swipe through the graphics to discover the key features that can help you tell them apart.

One of the most important clues is right on top of the bird’s head. Can you spot it?

Every correct identification and reported observation helps us better understand the Aquatic Warbler’s migration and protect this globally threatened species. 💧🌾

📍 Have you ever spotted an Aquatic Warbler during migration?

Share your observation with us and join ! 📨



More interesting stuff about the species: https://aquaticwarbler.eu/about-species/

25/08/2026

✒️​ "As a city-based communications professional, spending a week at a bird ringing station in the heart of the Normandy marshes was far outside my usual routine. ​🐦 During the week of 10 August 2026, I joined the GONm team – French partner of the LIFE AWOM project – at the Cap ringing station in the Taute Marshes Regional Nature Reserve, looking for 𝐀𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬."

Amélie Tagu, communications coordinator of the project, is sharing with us some of the small moments that never make it into project reports but are at the heart of what makes the LIFE project so special... Have a good read! ⬇️​

https://europe.wetlands.org/im-taking-you-behind-the-scenes-of-a-bird-ringing-station-and-its-no-flight-of-fancy/

Programme

By Amélie TAGU, Senior communications officer at Wetlands International Europe. As a city-based communications professional, spending a week at a bird ringing station in the heart of the Normandy marshes was far outside my usual routine. During the week of 10 August 2026, I joined the GONm team –...

17/08/2026

🐦🌍 They are almost in Africa.

Our Aquatic Warblers now suppose to be approaching Morocco — a crucial stop before one of the toughest parts of their journey: crossing the Sahara Desert.

For these tiny birds, Moroccan wetlands can mean the difference between life and death. They need safe places to rest, feed and gather strength. But many of these wetlands are drying out and disappearing. 💧⚠️

One of the pressures comes from expanding intensive agriculture, including strawberry fields grown for European markets. These farms need large amounts of water in already dry landscapes, increasing pressure on the wetlands that migratory birds depend on.

As the birds continue their migration journey, they remind us that migration is only possible when every link in the chain remains alive — breeding sites, stopovers and wintering grounds.

📍 Next stop: Morocco.
Then, the Sahara.

⬇️ Read more about the pressure on Moroccan wetlands in the article (link in the comments):

14/08/2026

🕊️🌍 What have ringed Aquatic Warblers taught us? 💚

A single ringed bird tells one story.

Thousands of observations collected over decades tell the story of an entire species. 🌍

Thanks to bird ringing, scientists now know where Aquatic Warblers spend the winter, which wetlands they use to rest during migration, and how they travel between Europe and West Africa.

Every ringed bird, every observation and every recapture helps us better understand—and better protect—Europe's rarest migratory songbird. 💧🌾

🎥 In this video, discover what decades of ringing data have revealed about the incredible migration of the Aquatic Warbler.

And remember… if you spot or ring an Aquatic Warbler during this autumn's migration, please let us know. You could help write the next chapter of this remarkable story. 🐣