Maia

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

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