News

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

Discovery of a new small mammal species in Transylvania, after 112 years!

Between 2008 and 2010 several individuals of the Southern Birch Mouse (Sicista subtilis) have been found in Barn Owl and Little Owl pellets collected from different localities on the Someș Plateau. The single known data of this species is based on the specimen collected by Orosz Endre from Apahida in 1900, which is stored in the Hungarian Natural History Museum. (more…)

Continue ReadingDiscovery of a new small mammal species in Transylvania, after 112 years!
Read more about the article Photo competition results

Photo competition results

Winners of the 4th International Milvus Nature Photography Contest

The winning photos list and the photos selected for exhibition can be downloaded here.

Members of the jury:

Tamás András AFIAP – RO, president of jury

Dan Dinu AFIAP, PhotoLife – RO

Kerekes István EFIAP/p – HU

Media partners:

90 photographers sent pictures from 17 countries.

Free topic: 342 photos

Landscape topic: 190 photos

Grand prize (winner of the contest):

Szőke Attila/Slovacia – Mimicry

(more…)

Continue ReadingPhoto competition results

Breeding Sakers

After the promising results the Milvus Group’s employees got earlier in the spring seeking for Sakers in Dobrudja (Romania), they decided to continue the search. The purpose of the quest was to identify unknown Saker pairs and thus optimal quality habitats for this species. Several artificial nests are going to be mounted on high voltage powertowers in the very near future and the more nests installed in places where Sakers occur, the better chances to be occupied by falcons. The lack of appropriate nests is one of the most important issues to resolve in order to ensure a stabile Saker population in Romania.

[singlepic id=777 w=320 h=240 float=left]

(more…)

Continue ReadingBreeding Sakers

Three stork chicks died because of the bad weather conditions

On the 27th of June 2012 members of Milvus Group travelled to Suplac commune (Mureș county), following an appeal the mayor has made. In Idirfaia village, belonging to Suplac commune, the locals have been worried because of the storks which have disappeared in the last one and a half week. For some time they have not seen the owners of the stork nest from the brink of the village, nor have they seen the stork chicks which were already standing on their feet in the nest for some time. (more…)

Continue ReadingThree stork chicks died because of the bad weather conditions

The 3rd bi-monthly report of Milvus Rehabilitation Center (May-June 2012)

falche-butbutMay-June is the period when most birds from Romania are breeding. This is the period when the chicks of different breeding species fledge earlier and can fall into hands of benign people. It is best to leave these birds at the location where they were found, possibly in a place protected from predators (cats, dogs).

In May and June we received more calls than in the previous months. Totally 32 bird lovers from 12 localities asked for our help, in most cases about young birds which left their nest, this way seeming orphans. Most of them were released at the location of their finding. In this period 15 birds arrived to our center: 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Common Ravens, 1 White Stork, 6 Little Owls, 2 Long-Eared Owls, 2 Common Kestrels. (more…)

Continue ReadingThe 3rd bi-monthly report of Milvus Rehabilitation Center (May-June 2012)

Presenting the wildlife of Hârtibaciu – Târnava Mare – Olt area for teachers from the Natura 2000 sites

In 2012 the Environmental Education Working Group of Milvus Group organized information meetings entitled “The best educational methods to promote the Natura 2000 network” in the frame of SOP Environment project “For nature and local communities – the bases for a Natura 2000 integrated management in Hârtibaciu – Târnava Mare area” co-financed by the European Union Regional Fund. The project is implemented by WWF Romania in partnership with ADEPT Foundation, Mihai Eminescu Trust, Regional Environmental Protection Agency Sibiu and EcoTur Sibiu. The six presentations were held in four towns from Transylvania: Agnita, Dumbrăveni, Rupea and Sighișoara, in Romanian and Hungarian also. (more…)

Continue ReadingPresenting the wildlife of Hârtibaciu – Târnava Mare – Olt area for teachers from the Natura 2000 sites

The death of a Saker Falcon, Maia

Maia - Photo: Luca Andrei Dehelean
On the 22.03.2012 a team from Romania made of 5 employees and volunteers of Milvus Group, working in the Saker Falcon conservation project LIFE09 NAT/HU/000384, travelled to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. There we were kindly welcomed by two local ornithologist colleagues, Mr. Dražen Kotrošan and Mr. Iljan Dervovič, members of Ornitološko društvo “Naše ptice” (Ornithological Society „Our Birds“, an NGO from Bosnia  and Herzegovina, dedicated to the protection of birds) who helped us a lot during our visit. The aim of our trip was to recover the satellite transmitter, which was mounted last year in Romania on a juvenile female Saker, named Maia (VIDEO), and to answer our question if whether the transmitter has simply fallen from the back of the bird, or the bird died. In the latter case, we hoped to be able to identify the causes of death as well. (more…)

Continue ReadingThe death of a Saker Falcon, Maia