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The fourth wintering Long-eared Owl census (2012-2013)

The wintering Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) census continues also this year! The importance of this programme lies in the finding of many more wintering roosts to discover the most important places for the wintering owls. While in 2009, in the beginning of the programme we knew 20 wintering roosts, at the moment we know 51 of them! This programme is also important (more…)

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First steps taken to rehabilitate a juvenile Saker Falcon

The bird kept at the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park office
Photo: Herlo Gabriel, biologist at Mureș Floodplain Natural Park
In the past days members of Milvus Group and employees of the Saker Falcon conservation project were contacted by employees of the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park because of a Saker Falcon they had at their office. After members of Milvus Group arrived to the office of the Natural Park they realized that the bird is a juvenile male Saker Falcon, which was found 3 weeks ago by a person on a field near Arad, as told by the employees of the Natural Park. The person realized that this was an injured raptor and took it to a small animal clinic. The bird underwent a routine medical examination but had no injuries or fractures. However it doesn’t show any signs of being capable to fly. At the moment the bird is on its way to the Rehabilitation Centre of Milvus Group from Tîrgu-Mureș, where it will be examined again and treated adequately until complete recovery. Hopefully we are only dealing with a weaken bird, as it happens sometimes when they do not eat normally for a couple of days. (more…)

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The results of the 3rd Romanian Ornithological Marathon

This year, between 19-21 October ”Milvus Group” Bird and Nature Protection Association organized the 3rd Romanian Ornithological Marathon, which took place, as in the previous year at Cefa Fishponds (Bihor County). Nine teams with 2-4 persons (totally 29 people) registered at the contest, but there were also event participants who didn’t register. (more…)

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The 2012 events from the stork nest with web camera

Photo: Kósa Ferenc
The events in the stork nest with the mounted web camera from Dumbrăvioara could be followed this year also on the Milvus Group webpage, unfortunately with some interruptions. In this year the camera was changed to a night-vision one, thus the storks in the nest were visible also in the dark. Same as last year, this year the events turned out very interesting and surprising. (more…)

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Counting of Red-footed Falcons at their roosting places in Western Romania

Roosting site in Arad County

The Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) is one of the main target species of the Milvus Group’s raptor conservation activities. We had several projects focusing on the protection of this small size falcon, the international LIFE program being one of them. Within this project we began to monitor the autumn roosting of Red-footed Falcons. This species breeds in colonies and it’s gregarious during migration as well. They form night roosts from the end of August to the end of September/first days of October, and several hundreds of birds (sometimes above one thousand) can gather at one single roosting site. These places are usually small tree patches or roadside trees. (more…)

Continue ReadingCounting of Red-footed Falcons at their roosting places in Western Romania

Mounting of artificial nests for Saker Falcon has been started in the Western part of Romania

Typical treeless Saker habitat in Western Romania (Photo: Attila Nagy)

In the last two years, the employees of the Milvus Group working on the Falco cherrug conservation LIFE+ project expansively examined the suitable natural nests for Saker Falcons occurring in the Western part of Romania. The results clearly show that the lack of such nests is one of the most important limiting factors for Sakers to inhabit these regions. Falcon species do not make nests of their own, they typically use nests built by other birds to breed, and Saker Falcon is no exception to this rule. Unfortunately solitaire trees and small tree patches, which are proper habitats for different species of raptors or Corvids to build their nests, are widely missing from Western Romania. In these conditions they cannot provide breeding places for Sakers, as well. The South-western part of Romania, named Banat, is such a place, where the only natural nests suitable for Sakers occur on pylons of high voltage powerlines. (more…)

Continue ReadingMounting of artificial nests for Saker Falcon has been started in the Western part of Romania

Red-footed Falcon with Romanian ring in the Czech Republic

[singlepic id=1043 w=320 h=240 float=left]On the 20th of August 2012 near Vlčnov, in the Czech Republic a Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) with Romanian rings was caught in the mistnet of ornithologist Petr Pavelčík. After the bird was controlled by the ringer, it was released and our association was informed. From the data we found out that it was ringed on the 11th of July 2012 by Daróczi J. Szilárd and Hegyeli Zsolt at a Red-footed Falcon colony near Sânmartin (Arad county). (more…)

Continue ReadingRed-footed Falcon with Romanian ring in the Czech Republic