15/05/2026
🪶 An Aquatic Warbler named Traveler has returned to Žuvintas, Lithuania
Yesterday, our colleagues at the Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve spotted a bird we had cared for with great dedication a year ago. After a long migration to Africa and back, a male Aquatic Warbler nicknamed Traveler has returned. 🌍
Last year, this bird was part of our Aquatic Warbler translocation programme in Lithuania. He hatched in Alka Polder, in a meadow where intensive grazing put him and his siblings at risk of dying. At first, we tried to protect the nest from cattle by fencing it off, and later, once the chicks were older, the entire brood was moved to Žuvintas. There, our team raised the birds and released them into the wild. 🐣
Traveler’s story had already become special last year. Just over a month after release, he was spotted in a wetland near Rotterdam in the Netherlands — around 1,500 km from Žuvintas. That was only a short stop on his impressive journey to his wintering grounds in Africa. He still had more than 5,000 km ahead of him, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Sahara Desert, and wintering grounds in Mali. ✈️
It is hard to believe, but birds that weigh only about as much as a teaspoon of sugar cover enormous distances every year and cross two huge barriers on the way — the Mediterranean and the Sahara. They can fly over the desert for up to 50 hours without stopping. Before such a journey, they build up large fat reserves and almost double their weight. True ultra-MEGA-marathoners. 💨
And now Traveler is back in Žuvintas — in his new home. 🏞️
And he is not alone. In a single evening, our colleagues found 5 more birds that had also been translocated here last year. These are only the first observations, so it is very likely that many more returning birds are still to be found. This is a very encouraging result — it shows that the translocation programme is helping to strengthen the Žuvintas population. 💚
Monitoring will continue. And in June–July, around 50 more Aquatic Warbler chicks are expected to arrive in Žuvintas. We will care for them intensively, and once grown, they will help strengthen the local population. Translocations are planned to continue for at least three more years, with the hope that after that the Žuvintas population will be strong enough to survive naturally.
As a reminder, the first pilot translocation of Aquatic Warblers in Lithuania took place in 2018–2019. In the first year after release, 12–22% of the translocated birds returned to Žuvintas. Scientists consider this an exceptional success, given that the Aquatic Warbler is a small long-distance migrant with very specific habitat requirements.
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