Karen is a female that was captured in 2007 in a small colony of 30 pairs along the Linge, in the Netherlands.
Karen is named after Karen Krijgsveld, an enthusiastic researcher at Bureau Waardenburg and actively involved in various research activities into the ecology and protection of Purple Herons.
Karen’s 2009-2010 journey
The exact departing date from the Netherlands is unknown but we received a good signal from Karen at 12 September from Extremadura in Spain. Most likely she flew over the ocean arriving in Morroco at 14 September. In 2008 she stopped for a long time in Morocco. But this time we received a signal at 18 September in south Mauritania in a temporary flooded area. This is already the third post-breeding flight we can follow this particular bird. Karen is the first Dutch Purple Heron ever equipped with a transmitter giving us fantastic information on migration routes and preferred sites. After stopping in souther Mauritania for several weeks, Karen continued her journey southwards and on 12 October was in Senegal, close to Tilogne along the former floodplains of the Senegal River. At 30 October she moved to Guinea, close to Conakry, at a site used in the two previous northern winters. Karen has remained near Conakry into the begining of December.
Karen’s 2008-2009 journey
18 May - September 2009 - Karen in the breeding area. 17 May 2009 - Karen arrived back at her breeding colony in the Netherlands. 15 May 2009 - Karen was on the final stage of her journey back to the breeding colony, being traced passing over Zeeland in the south of the Netherlands. 14 May 2009 - Karen remains along a small river just west of Nantes in France. 10 May 2009 - She continued northwards and had quickly made it to northern France and is currently just outside Nantes. 9 May 2009 - Karen crossed the Mediterranean Sea, passing via Marllorca. 19 April 2009 - 25 April 2009 - She was in northern Algeria. 16 April 2009 - Karen was recorded in northern Mauritania. 15 April 2009 - She was resting in Senegal in the Niokolo Koba National Park a large park and a Ramsar Site, upstream of the Gambia River. 7 April 2009 - She started to migrate northward to the breeding area and was first traced in northern Guinea. 25 October 2008 - 6 April 2009 - She has reached the same area of rice fields in Guinea as she has used in the previous year. 11 October 2008 - Then she spent a few days at a reservoir near the Senegal River in southern Mauritania. 9 October 2008 - After staging for a few days near to Rabat, she crossed the Sahara desert. 23 September 2008 - 29 September 2008 - Karen left the Netherlands and moved south to Morocco through Portugal.
Additional information
In 2008, she left Africa later than many other Purple Herons and stayed for a long period in Spain, to return to the Netherlands only in the beginning of July. She visited the colony where she bred the previous year, but did not attempt to make a nest. It has been known from Spoonbills that they can skip a breeding season, but apparently this can also happen with Purple Herons.
23 May 2007 - Caught in the Netherlands at the breeding site, when she had five eggs. The nest was checked on 3 June: there were four chicks and one egg that had not hatched yet. Afterwards the bird has been seen feeding its chicks. The nest was not checked anymore to limit disturbance. The bird foraged around the colony (max. 1.6 km - min. 0.4 km dated 5 July 2007) in the polders directly north of the Linge. In the non-breeding period (northern winter) of 2007/2008 Karen lived within the rice fields of Guinea in Africa.
Karen is a female that was captured in 2007 in a small colony of 30 pairs along the Linge, in the Netherlands.
Karen is named after Karen Krijgsveld, an enthusiastic researcher at Bureau Waardenburg and actively involved in various research activities into the ecology and protection of Purple Herons.
Karen’s 2009-2010 journey
The exact departing date from the Netherlands is unknown but we received a good signal from Karen at 12 September from Extremadura in Spain. Most likely she flew over the ocean arriving in Morroco at 14 September. In 2008 she stopped for a long time in Morocco. But this time we received a signal at 18 September in south Mauritania in a temporary flooded area. This is already the third post-breeding flight we can follow this particular bird. Karen is the first Dutch Purple Heron ever equipped with a transmitter giving us fantastic information on migration routes and preferred sites. After stopping in souther Mauritania for several weeks, Karen continued her journey southwards and on 12 October was in Senegal, close to Tilogne along the former floodplains of the Senegal River. At 30 October she moved to Guinea, close to Conakry, at a site used in the two previous northern winters. Karen has remained near Conakry into the begining of December.
Karen’s 2008-2009 journey
18 May - September 2009 - Karen in the breeding area. 17 May 2009 - Karen arrived back at her breeding colony in the Netherlands. 15 May 2009 - Karen was on the final stage of her journey back to the breeding colony, being traced passing over Zeeland in the south of the Netherlands. 14 May 2009 - Karen remains along a small river just west of Nantes in France. 10 May 2009 - She continued northwards and had quickly made it to northern France and is currently just outside Nantes. 9 May 2009 - Karen crossed the Mediterranean Sea, passing via Marllorca. 19 April 2009 - 25 April 2009 - She was in northern Algeria. 16 April 2009 - Karen was recorded in northern Mauritania. 15 April 2009 - She was resting in Senegal in the Niokolo Koba National Park a large park and a Ramsar Site, upstream of the Gambia River. 7 April 2009 - She started to migrate northward to the breeding area and was first traced in northern Guinea. 25 October 2008 - 6 April 2009 - She has reached the same area of rice fields in Guinea as she has used in the previous year. 11 October 2008 - Then she spent a few days at a reservoir near the Senegal River in southern Mauritania. 9 October 2008 - After staging for a few days near to Rabat, she crossed the Sahara desert. 23 September 2008 - 29 September 2008 - Karen left the Netherlands and moved south to Morocco through Portugal.
Additional information
In 2008, she left Africa later than many other Purple Herons and stayed for a long period in Spain, to return to the Netherlands only in the beginning of July. She visited the colony where she bred the previous year, but did not attempt to make a nest. It has been known from Spoonbills that they can skip a breeding season, but apparently this can also happen with Purple Herons.
23 May 2007 - Caught in the Netherlands at the breeding site, when she had five eggs. The nest was checked on 3 June: there were four chicks and one egg that had not hatched yet. Afterwards the bird has been seen feeding its chicks. The nest was not checked anymore to limit disturbance. The bird foraged around the colony (max. 1.6 km - min. 0.4 km dated 5 July 2007) in the polders directly north of the Linge. In the non-breeding period (northern winter) of 2007/2008 Karen lived within the rice fields of Guinea in Africa.