Conciliation meeting at national level between the Romanian electricity transmission network operators and nongovernmental bird protection organizations

Overhead power lines have a strong influence on wild bird populations. In some cases this influence is a positive one, like in the case of Saker Falcon population from the…

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Milvus Group organizes a bird feeder observation contest

The winner of the third event is Marton Attila, totally he observed 11 species on the bird feeder. The winner’s prize is a Milvus package. The winner of the second event is Marton Attila with an image with 7 species on the bird feeder. The winner’s prize is a Milvus t-shirt. The winner of the first event is Kósa Ferenc, with an image with 23 birds on the bird feeder. The winner’s prize is a Milvus t-shirt. A bird feeder’s guests can be followed live, through a camera on the Milvus Group homepage. Between 25 January and 15 March Milvus Group organizes a contest for the enthusiastic bird feeder observers, with three events: 1. Who observes the MOST BIRDS SIMOULTANEOUSLY on the bird feeder (deadline 5 February 2012, 12:00 PM) 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 SPECIESon the bird feeder during the contest (deadline 15 March 2012, 12:00 PM) (more…)

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Bird ringing on 4th of February 2012: a big success!

On 4th of February 2012 the Ecological Education Working Group of Milvus Group organised a bird ringing activity in the Târgu-Mureș Zoo. By placing two mist nets near the bird feeder they managed to ring 65 birds. The participants could observe the bird ringing closely and children had the opportunity to release one bird. The ringed birds were: Marsh Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch and Yellowhammer. In addition birds around the bird feeder could be observed (more…)

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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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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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