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A Year with Transylvania’s Lesser Spotted Eagles

chick 1As autumn rolls around and the Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina) sets off on its yearly migration down to its winter quarters in Central and Southern Africa, we can look back on what has been a successful year for the Life Pomarina Conservation Project. Jointly implemented by Milvus Group, The Environmental Protection Agency Sibiu and the Romanian Ornithological Society, the project aims to ensure conditions to achieve and maintain favorable conservation status for the eagles across three Special Protection Areas (SPA) in Transylvania. Of these sites, Milvus Group is directly responsible for two: Dealurile Târnavelor – Valea Nirajului and Podișul Hârtibaciului. (more…)

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Snapshots of a Romanian Saker Falcon family’s life

Toro, the second Romanian Saker Falcon tagged with satellite transmitter ever
Toro, the second Romanian Saker Falcon tagged with satellite transmitter ever Photo: Luca Dehelean
At the end of May 2013 a Saker Falcon was caught and tagged with satellite transmitter. The data from this Saker’s transmitter named Toro gives information about the way Sakers use their hunting territory, their habitats preference, their various prey sources and the size of a Romanian Saker Falcon breeding territory. Not long before, these information could be gained only through direct observation made by ornithologists standing long hours in a certain place next to the nest, which despite of the huge effort offered only a small amount of the information which modern technology gives us nowadays. (more…)

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Romania’s first flight cage for bird rehabilitation

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA On August 4th, Milvus group completed the construction of a flight cage, the latest addition to the Bird Rehabilitation Centre we have been working on with the Vets4Wild Association in Sansimon, Mures County since Autumn 2012. At 4m high and 25 m long, it is the result of several months voluntary work, made possible by sponsorship from the “Conservation of Falco cherrug in NE Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia” LIFE project. (more…)

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Year Two of the Natura 2000 Promotion Camp

In tabara Following the success of last year’s camp near Jibert, Milvus Group held another camp this summer, between the 9th and 14th of July, for children interested in nature and conservation. This time the participants were selected from the “I also take part in Natura 2000” contest. From the 500 registered participants, 21 pupils from 4 schools finally were chosen and given the opportunity to expand their theoretical knowledge in the practical environment of the camp. Over the week we looked to enrich the children’s knowledge about nature and nature conservation and present the values and the importance of Natura 2000 sites. (more…)

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The contest “I also take part in Natura 2000” has ended

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA In November 2012, Milvus Group launched the “I also take part in Natura 2000” contest, for which more than 500 pupils registered. A total of 309 pupils from 16 school succeeded in finishing the first two stages of the contest. Pupils from schools in the Natura 2000 protected area of Hârtibaciu, Târnava Mare, had to solve two complex tests with questions about protected species from their locality, concepts of nature conservation, local traditions, folk customs, agricultural methods for nature conservation and Natura 2000. (more…)

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Old issue, new cases – protected birds were poisoned again

Fakó rétihéja
Pallid Harrier
Poisoned birds have again been found by Milvus Group employees near Salonta, Bihor County. Our environment gets poorer with every killed bird, especially with endangered, rare species such as these. Previously an Eastern Imperial Eagle was found poisoned, and recently a Pallid Harrier, a very rare bird that only passes through Romania in migration, was found. Legal investigations have started, and we hope that this time the authorities will act and finally someone will take responsibility for the poisoning that has troubled our country for so long and that this excessive raptor killing will be stopped. (more…)

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Ruddy Shelduck observed at Cipău fishpond

On the 19th of March 2013 members of Milvus Group observed an adult female Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) on the Cipău fishponds. During the following days other members of the group could observe the bird and also some pictures were taken. The Ruddy Shelduck is a rare species in the Transylvanian Plateau, and also in the CarpathianBasin. There are 2 recent and 3 historical data from the Transylvanian Plateau, while there are less than 50 data from the whole area of the CarpathianBasin. (more…)

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