We welcome you to participate on this event!

1.

2. Who observes and recognizes the MOST BIRD SPECIES SIMOULTANEOUSLY on the bird feeder (deadline 26 February 2012, 12:00 PM)

3. Who observes the MOST BIRD SPECIES on the bird feeder during the contest (deadline 15 March 2012, 12:00 PM)

Between 20 January and 15 March competitors have to observe the bird feeder’s guests by watching the online webcam exclusively on the Milvus Group homepage (http://milvus.ro/category/live-webcam, but e.g. from the webpage of Justin TV it isn`t valid). When they think that they caught a moment which could belong to one of the events of the competition, they have to save it (with the help of Print Screen, Screen Capture, etc.) as an image file. The pictures should be sent in JPG format with the following information:
• The competitor’s name, the country from where she/he writes
• The event of the competition to which the image belongs and the data about the image:
Image for event 1 – it is required to send the number and the name of bird species visible in the image
Image for event 2 – it is required to send the number and the name of bird species visible in the image
Image(s) for event 3 – several images can be sent, but every image has to contain different species, it is required to send the name of the species belonging to the respective image

The results should be sent to the competition@milvus.ro address. If you have any questions or suggestions, please write to the same address.

IMPORTANT: Each person can send only one solution to each event of the competition. Incomplete results will not be considered. Results sent after deadlines will not be considered. Birds that are not on the feeder (on the ground or on the tree) don`t count in the contest.

The three winners will be the following:
The one who observes the most bird individuals simultaneously on the bird feeder
The one who observes the most bird species simultaneously on the bird feeder
The one who observes the most bird species during the contest

* By pressing the Print Screen (Prt Scn) button, the picture from your screen is copied, then you can paste it (CTRL+V) into Paint or into similar programs, from where you can save it in JPG format.

Thanks for the Netsoft team for their support!

At the beginning Milvus Group started as a group of friends, and despite the current dimensions of the Group still managed to remain that, with its benefits and disadvantages. Some say this is the reason why we will never be professionals, a cold-blooded machine which hires the best and decides only on professional considerations. Fortunately many of us think that the results of the past 20 years prove the justification of this fellowship, hereby we are not just a professional group, but also a coherent one.

Which are the achievements of the past 20 years that we are proud of?
Perhaps we dispose of the most extended knowledge about breeding, migrating and winter birds of Romania, therefore:
- we organized ringing camps during 10 years in Gurghiu mountains (http://milvus.ro/gurghiu-mountains-ringing-camp), during 2 years on the Chituc island, where we caught 4 new species for the country
- we organized raptor migration watch site camps in Măcin mountains during 6 years (http://milvus.ro/RO/macin-mountains-raptor-migration-watchsite-2002-2007), and we also endeavoured to explore the exact migrating routes of raptors in Dobrogea (http://milvus.ro/autumn-raptor-migration-study-in-dobrogea-%E2%80%93-2010-2011-2/2286) and we organized raptor migration watch site in Bosphorus (http://milvus.ro/raptor-migration-watchsite-at-bosphorus/307)
- we organize the Wintering Birds of Prey Monitoring Programme (http://milvus.ro/RO/wintering-birds-of-prey-monitoring-programme)
- we organize (together with the Romanian Ornithological Society) the Common Bird Monitoring (http://monitoring.sor.ro/) and the Mid-winter Waterfowl Count (http://milvus.ro/mid-winter-count-of-waterfowl-in-2011/1454), we run the nationwide white stork count (http://www.ciconia.ro/Rezultate.html) (also together with the Romanian Ornithological Society)
- we evaluated the population size of several raptor species: Lesser Spotted Eagle (http://milvus.ro/lesser-spotted-eagle-census-in-the-carpathian-region-of-romania), Golden Eagle and Peregrine Falcon (http://milvus.ro/conservation-of-the-golden-eagle-and-peregrine-falcon), Red-footed Falcon (http://milvus.ro/RO/the-conservation-of-falco-vespertinus-in-the-pannonian-region-life05-nath000122)
10 years after Milvus Group was founded, we decided not to concentrate our work only on birds. It was a wise decision, here are some of the results:
- we have nationwide data about the population range of otter and European souslik (http://milvus.ro/Mammal_Conservation/steppic-mammal-research-program/souslik-survey#more-305), as well as about the range of some amphibian and reptile species
- we run large carnivore surveys and focus on conservation, targeting especially the brown bear (http://milvus.ro/RO/brown-bear-conservation-and-research-programme-in-a-model-area-in-romania)
We can be rightly proud of these results, but they alone would not take nature conservation forward. Fortunately we had the opportunity to use our data in the benefit of nature conservation – we have a huge part in the proposals of the Natura 2000 network (http://www.natura2000proposals.ro/); we can say that without our persistent work, Romania would have remained without hundreds of thousands (or perhaps millions) of hectares of protected areas, and our work is not yet finished
- we initiated the mounting of special platforms on pylons for White Stork nests in the biggest part of the country and we installed the first web-camera in Romania on a White Stork nest in Dumbrăvioara (http://milvus.ro/RO/the-2011-events-in-the-stork-nest-with-web-camera/2033)
- we run a successful Environmental Education programme, with many classes and camps (http://milvus.ro/RO/working-groups/environmental-education)
- we try to be watchdogs and to act if any nature harming occurs, ex: building roads trough protected areas (http://milvus.ro/RO/ngo-revolution) or building wind farms where they could negatively affect bird populations
- we would like to achieve the long-term conservation of three raptor species with projects financed by the EU (www.pomarina.ro, www.sakerlife2.mme.hu, http://milvus.ro/RO/the-conservation-of-falco-vespertinus-in-the-pannonian-region-life05-nath000122)
- we have had a rehabilitation centre for birds for more than 10 years, which works on our own costs and with the help of volunteer veterinarians (http://milvus.ro/RO/romana-the-rehabilitation-center)
- we founded the Milvus Scholarship, a tool for supporting young nature conservationists (http://milvus.ro/RO/milvus-scholarship-2010/971)
- we take part in the management of 4 protected areas (http://milvus.ro/ariiprotejate/)
- we organized a nature photography contest – this year for the third time (http://milvus.ro/RO/the-3rd-international-milvus-nature-photography-contest/1430),
and we could go on, and we promise: we will.
All these could be achieved only with teamwork, hereby we would like to thank the help of every member, volunteer, employee, sympathizer and supporter. We thank our criticizers too, trough them we only get stronger. By looking back and analysing, we realize that all these things, which we call results, are nice and true, but they haven`t changed the world (enough) thereto we could say, Milvus Group can split up, because there aren`t any goals to stay together for. So we continue and we hope that there are many 20 years to come for the Group, and one day we could say: we have no more things to do for nature conservation.
The 20^th anniversary was celebrated in November by the whole Milvus Group

In period of 3 – 9 November members of the Milvus Group went on field to catch different owl species. The target areas were nearby Tg.-Mureş city. During the night field trips, the birds especially Tawny Owls (Strix aluco) were located and attracted into the mist nets with the species call, using a CD-player. A total of 12 Tawny Owls and 2 Long-eared Owls (Asio otus) were ringed. Beside the ringings the aim of these field trips was to gather data about breeding habitat and density of owl pairs. Observations were made on other species too, like Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) and Little Owl. (Athene noctua). As a result of the field research they found 50 locations with the presence of Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) and 9 places with Ural Owl (Strix uralensis). Hopefully the field trips will be repeated next year.

Starting from 22nd September members of Milvus Group together with members of Istanbul Birdwatching Society are observing the migration of birds of prey at the Bosphorus strait, which is well known as one of the most important migration route for soaring birds in Europe. Observations are made at 4 countpoints simultaneously. The migration study camp will last till 13th October. To see the results please acces the species list. Hopefully the species list will be udated every day.