Integration of the Republic of Moldova into European Bird Monitoring: Ornitodata and Standardised Protocols

After 2023, when the Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature of the Republic of Moldova (SPPN) began collecting data using Ornitodata, the establishment of a dedicated framework entitled “Midwinter Moldova” proved highly successful. Ornitodata is a database developed by the Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR) for Romania, available as a mobile application, with data validated at database.sor.ro. This success was reflected not in the number of participants or the broad adoption of the data‑collection method, but in the standardisation of data collection and the efficiency of data integration, validation, and analysis. As a result, for the MidWinter 2023 event, a total of 1,160 observations, comprising 87,260 individuals from 80 species, were recorded.

The Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature (SPPN) joined the International Census Plots (ICP) project, part of the EBP LIFE initiative for South‑Eastern and Eastern Europe. At the same time, Moldova began synchronising its data for the first time by channelling it into the European Bird Portal (EBP) databank, applying the EBP data standards to ensure accurate identification and characterisation of information collected under specific or standardised protocols. These efforts allowed the country to expand and refine its data‑collection protocols and frameworks within Ornitodata. Ultimately, this process led to the launch of a dedicated national platform at the end of 2024.

This development marked a turning point for bird data collection in the Republic of Moldova. Data collection is now conducted in accordance with newly established, harmonised protocols, particularly Common Bird Monitoring (CBM) using the point-count method. In addition to the Midwinter Census and CBM, Winter Raptor Counts are also conducted. Moreover, the platform allows the integration of additional monitoring programs, while continuing to support regular data collection through simple observations or complete species lists. Currently, all collected data total 37,073 observations across 270 species and 720,397 individuals.

Vitalie Ajder

Societatea Pentru Protecția Păsărilor și a Naturii (SPPN)