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Ecological education about winter bird feeding

Within the project entitled “Ecological education for a sustainable future”, financed by the Environmental Fund Administration, members of Milvus Group began the presentations of ecological education about feeding birds during winter, which will be presented for 16 groups from preschools and schools. These presentations are held in the Zoological Garden of Târgu Mureș where Milvus Group and the Zoo had jointly placed a bird feeder. With the help of a field scope the participants of this program are able to see the guests of the “restaurant”. In the (more…)

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Read more about the article In 2011 Milvus Group became 20 years old

In 2011 Milvus Group became 20 years old

No one would have thought in 1991, when 7 enthusiastic ornithologist friends got together in the kitchen of Mr. Szombath Zoli, that the herein founded Milvus Group will still exist after 20 years, even more, it will be one of the most important and recognized nature protection associations in Romania, with hundreds of members, with many employees and with many achievements – which we tried to sum up, but it is impossible to include it all in this short report. (more…)

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Good news from Béni ”the Survivor”

Photo: Saverio Gatto
In one of our previous articles we were expressing our worries about Béni, the surviving 2010 nestling which got stuck in the south of the Sinai Peninsula on its way back to Africa after having spent the summer In Turkey and did not manage to finds his way to Africa above the Suez Channel. Our reasons for concern were well grounded, as in 2010 another juvenile, Adél, had lost her life in the same area of the Sinai Peninsula. Béni 1 is the juvenile which amazed everybody last year when, after having succeeded in crossing the Sahara, he broke all records: the fastest speed (92 km/h), the longest distance covered in one single day (511,7 km) and the most kilometres covered in total during migration (13869,17 km until 06.01.2011). (more…)

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Another transmitter-equipped Lesser Spotted Eagle dies in Africa

According to the data we received from Köves’s transmitter, the signals have been coming from the same location – the town of Mubende in Uganda since 4.11.2011. The last signal from Köves came on 17.11.2011. The fact that the signals have been coming from the same location has made us wonder if the bird is still alive or it was captured, or lost its transmitter. (more…)

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The Lesser Spotted Eagle comics

For the first time in Romania Lesser Spotted Eagles are becoming comic characters. This animation is made within the confines of the LIFE project “Conservation of the Lesser Spotted Eagle in Romania” implemented by the Regional Environmental Agency from Sibiu in partnership with “Milvus Group” Bird and Nature Protection Association and Romanian Ornithological Society. From the 7th of December 2011 there will be an educational comic serial on the project’s website: www.pomarina.ro/RO/serial. In this comic we can follow monthly the adventures of the two main characters, Generalu’ and Piciu’ eagles, during the migration to Africa, their wintering period and their way back. The period between April and September, when the eagles are in our country, will also be illustrated. The scene of these episodes will be Transylvania, where the largest breeding Lesser Spotted Eagle population from Romania lives.  (more…)

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Autumn raptor migration study in Dobrogea – 2010, 2011

[singlepic id=771 w=320 h=240 float=left]The study of migrating birds has always been among the primer activities of Milvus Group. In the past years we organised several camps with the aim of indentifying the migration period of different raptor species. In this consideration the camps organized in Măcin Mountains, during 2002-2007, were the most important.

Last year (2010) we proposed a new objective: to indentify the migration routes of raptors in Dobrogea. These new information will help us understand the possible negative effects of existing and planned wind farms on migrating raptors. (more…)

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The third wintering Long-eared Owl census (2011-2012)

As in previous years, ”Milvus Group” Bird and Nature Protection Association organises the Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) census also this year. This program is running in other East and Central European countries with the same method: counting the owls in their winter roosts. This synchronous census is important to clarify some questions related to the species. With this method many unknown wintering places have been discovered in Romania. (more…)

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The adopted Lesser Spotted Eagle

On the 2nd of August 2011 we received from a veterinarian friend of us Borka Levente a juvenile male Lesser Spotted Eagle from Pădureni region (Mureș county). The bird had been found by some workers near a forest. After feeding the bird for a day, we took it to the forest near Valea village for adoption, where on the 7th of July we ringed and tagged with satellite transmitter the chick named Katona (http://pomarina.ro/RO/psri-cu-transmitoare/115-katona). At this nest site we have been making regular observations during the breeding period. Both juvenile birds had similar age, which was the reason for choosing this pair as adopting parents. (more…)

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The 2011 events in the stork nest with web camera

In 2006 “Milvus Group” Bird and Nature Protection Association installed the first web camera on a stork nest in Dumbrăvioara. At first the events from the nest could be followed only on the computer from the stork museum. From 2010 the daily life of the storks in the nest number 10 can be followed anywhere on the world using the internet. During five years the male from the stork pair who occupied this nest, was a ringed bird (https://milvus.ro/white-storks-with-coloured-elsa-ring/66), but this year the events in the nest were much more exciting. On the 3rd of April a stork came to the nest  and on the 8th of April his or her pair arrived too. The first egg was laid on the 19th of April and the next ones on the 21th and 23th of April. The male didn’t take part in the incubation so the female started incubating the three eggs alone. (more…)

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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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