News

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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2% for Birds

Thank you for your very kind 2% donations, which we received in 2011. Your generosity will help us to sustain the Rehabilitation Center, the Ecological Education of kids and to…

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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

The stork and bees

[singlepic id=595 w=250 h=200 float=left]In the last period more and more people are contacting the Milvus Group – Bird and Nature Protection Association, asking for help to protect the storks. Usually they are asking us to set up a rack for a nest, which is on an electrical pylon (e.g. Valea Nirajului, Ocna de Sus etc.). In some cases they are informing us about that some nests are in danger, sometimes even the coworkers from and electrical firm, without no reason, are removing them. In every situation we try to give our best and to solve the established, often unpleasant and weird so called problems.

(more…)

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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