Author: koma

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Milvus scholarship 2015

“Milvus Group” Bird and Nature Protection Association is launching the Milvus scholarship dedicated for student researchers interested in biology, ecology or nature conservation for year 2015-2016 Our main objective is…

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Read more about the article Photo competition results

Photo competition results

Winners of the 4th International Milvus Nature Photography Contest

The winning photos list and the photos selected for exhibition can be downloaded here.

Members of the jury:

Tamás András AFIAP – RO, president of jury

Dan Dinu AFIAP, PhotoLife – RO

Kerekes István EFIAP/p – HU

Media partners:

90 photographers sent pictures from 17 countries.

Free topic: 342 photos

Landscape topic: 190 photos

Grand prize (winner of the contest):

Szőke Attila/Slovacia – Mimicry

(more…)

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The 3rd bi-monthly report of Milvus Rehabilitation Center (May-June 2012)

falche-butbutMay-June is the period when most birds from Romania are breeding. This is the period when the chicks of different breeding species fledge earlier and can fall into hands of benign people. It is best to leave these birds at the location where they were found, possibly in a place protected from predators (cats, dogs).

In May and June we received more calls than in the previous months. Totally 32 bird lovers from 12 localities asked for our help, in most cases about young birds which left their nest, this way seeming orphans. Most of them were released at the location of their finding. In this period 15 birds arrived to our center: 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Common Ravens, 1 White Stork, 6 Little Owls, 2 Long-Eared Owls, 2 Common Kestrels. (more…)

Continue ReadingThe 3rd bi-monthly report of Milvus Rehabilitation Center (May-June 2012)

The 2nd bi-monthly report of Milvus Rehabilitation Centre (March-April 2012)

After winter past and the snow melted, the birds which survived didn`t had problems in searching for food. In March-April we received fewer phone calls than in the previous period. A total of 15 bird lovers from 9 localities asked for our help to treat the weakened or injured birds found by them. The number of injured birds was much higher than the number of weakened ones. (more…)

Continue ReadingThe 2nd bi-monthly report of Milvus Rehabilitation Centre (March-April 2012)

Autumn raptor migration study in Dobrogea

[singlepic id=770 w=320 h=240 float=left] Migration of raptors is phenomenon which always raised interest among members of Milvus Group. In the past few years several studies have been made in order to identify the main migration periods for each raptor species. Maybe the most relevant among these studies was carried out in the Măcin Mountains between 2002 and 2007 (link). Last year a new study was started with the aim to gather new and precise information about the migration routes in Dobrogea and to evaluate the possible impact of already built or future wind-farms from the area. (more…)

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Read more about the article 3rd International “Milvus” Nature Photography Contest

3rd International “Milvus” Nature Photography Contest

Winners of the 3rd International Milvus Nature Photography Contest The winning photos list and the photos selected for exhibition can be downloaded here.

First prize (winner of the competition):

Gönye Csaba/ Hungary – Spring phototaxis Section A – GENERAL Place 1: Garas Attila/ Ungaria – Lentről jöttünk (We came from depths) Place 2: Bakos Gábor/ Ungaria – In flight Place 3: Csonka Péter/ Hungary – My jungle Highly commended photos: Branda Mircea (Ro) – T-Rex Kelemen Attila (Hu) – Vizben álló fák (Trees standing in water) Varga István (Hu) – Kangaroo rabbits [nggallery id=41] Section B – AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY 

Place 1: Varga István/ Ungaria – Waiting for love

Place 2: Daróczi Csaba/Ungaria – Magányos halász (Lonely fisherman)

Place 3: Nagy Zoltán/ România – Black Winged Stilt

 Highly commended photos:

Daróczi Csaba (Hu) – Harc a halért (Fight for the fish)

Máté Bence (Hu) – Vízen futás (Running on water)   Photos selected for exhibition –Section A – GENERAL [nggallery id=44] Photos selected for exhibition –section B – AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY [nggallery id=45] (more…)

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Spring maintenance works made on nestboxes for Red-footed Falcons

[singlepic id=601 w=250 h=200 float=left]Although the Hungarian-Romanian Red-footed Falcon LIFE project has ended in 2009, the Milvus Group has assumed to manage the so-called After LIFE activities (those are required to be continued after the end of the project). One of these activities is the maintenance of the artificial nests mounted within the LIFE project for the Red-footed Falcons. It’s a well-known fact that falcon species don’t build the nest of their own, instead raise their chicks in other birds’ nests. In our region the “Red-foots” choose mainly the nests of rooks, as they breed colonially as well. In the recent years we’ve established brand new colonies by putting artificial nests on trees in those areas where rookeries lack. (more…)

Continue ReadingSpring maintenance works made on nestboxes for Red-footed Falcons

First bear captured by the Milvus Group

[singlepic id=572 w=250 h=200 float=left]On the 9th of April 2011, the Milvus Group has captured, successfully anesthetized and, after mounting a GPS-GSM collar (made by Vectronic Aerospace) on it, has released its first bear. The bear, an adult male weighing approx. 250 kilograms, was captured in Harghita County, several kilometers away from the town of Sovata. The capture team consisted of Károly Illyés and Károly Pál (professional gamekeepers, assistants within the bear project), Levente Borka (veterinarian) and the bear project coordinator, Csaba Domokos. The collar is working well and is already sending information on the animal’s activity. (more…)

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Fieldwork in Dobrudja – survey for Saker falcons


Photo: Luca Dehelean
In March, a few ornithologists from the Milvus Group working on the “Conservation of Falco cherrug in Northeast Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia” LIFE+ project have started the fieldwork in Dobrudja. As a first step they verified the presence of the target species in the Măcin Mountains, where Saker falcons used to breed. Although there are several suitable breeding places, due to unknown reasons yet, unfortunately the birds were missing. (more…)

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Taking part in the annual meeting of raptor conservation specialists in Hungary

[singlepic id=482 w=250 h=200 float=left]Birds of prey usually occur in the top of the trophic pyramid, which means that because of the major changes caused by humans on ecological equilibrium make them more and more vulnerable. It’s a matter of fact that many raptor species are endangered and need conservation actions to survive. The specialists from Hungary have reached the top of the class in raptor conservation, as their efforts made in the last few decades lead to increase the national populations of some highly endangered birds of prey species, of which global effectives are permanently decreasing. Such species are the Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) and the Saker (Falco cherrug). (more…)

Continue ReadingTaking part in the annual meeting of raptor conservation specialists in Hungary

Nestboxes for Owls

In winter 2010-2011 members of the Milvus Group have mounted a number of five artificial nestboxes for Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) and seventeen nests for Tengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funereus).…

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