Arxiu de la categoria: Conservation

Common Genet photo hide sample

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Along all 2013 we have been working in a new photo hide for Common Genet, a poorly known small carnivore living in South Europe and Africa.

The hide is place in a mixed forest near Tremp (Catalan Pyrenees) and it is the fruit of several months of field work. From all this work we have selected some of the most interesting images to offer a sample of what a photo session with these Common Genets can be.

What you will see in this video?

In this video you will see a adult female (called Flors) taking care of a group of four young Genets born in September. At the same time you will also see a son of Flors born the past spring but that has remained along with her and it seems to take care of the youngest.

Hope you will enjoy it as we did when spending time with them!

 

Griffon Vulture to colonize Majorca

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It is the very first time (in historic data) that Griffon Vulture colonizes an European island by natural ways.

Majorca is a 3.600 square kilometres island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the major Balearic Island, in Spain. Despite it is a main holiday destination it is preserving a variety of wildlife within its territory.

There are two species of vultures that currently breeds in Majorca; Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus). Both species have small but stable populations in the Majorcan mountainous areas. Very soon it could be a third species of nesting vulture in the island.

It was October 30th, 2008 when up to 800 Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) were recorded in south-eastern Spain. They mainly were juveniles and some of them were marked with yellow wing-bands. At this time a low-pressure area was accelerating winds from high to low pressure areas. One day later, a 70 individuals large flock was recorded in Menorca. It was the first record of this species in this small Balearic Island. In November 12th, 2008 numbers of Griffon Vulture were detected in Majorca. Since that day until today there a numerous group of Griffon living in Majorca.

In November 2010 the Balearic Island Regional Government carried a census out and determined a total population of 46-59 Griffon Vulture in Majorca living in four different areas along the island’s main range of mountains. Griffon Vultures were located in all this range of mountains although bigger flocks (12-17 individuals) were found between Pollença and Valldemossa.

Any nest have been located yet although it seems clear that this population will breed soon in Majorca. Maybe 2012 will be their year and some couples try to definitely stablish in Majorca!!

More information about this matter in Quercus nº 311, January, 2012. http://www.quercus.es

New species in winter time in Ebro Delta

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Due to climate change or to local features it is a reality that every time more species of birds, formerly though as a summer visitors, are spending winter time in some areas of South Europe.

I have been absolutely surprised by the view of a Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) in Ebro Delta. It was on Sunday November 4 and I was spending the day with a couple just arrived from Switzerland. We had nice views of many birds but we saw five different species that until few years ago were summer visitors and now are becoming more common during the winter.

First was the Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) leaving the reedbeds at raisang with tens of White Wagtails (Motacilla alba alba). Later a group of Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) (5 of them) flying over the fields with some Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris). Barn Swallow is coming up in numbers every winter and its presence is considered “not rare” in Ebro and Llobregat deltas. We counted 6 Hoopoe (Upupa epops) in different areas. Hoopoe is a quite common summer-but-also-winter bird in Catalonia, specially along the coast. In the paddy fields we saw one White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), though this species is specially common in winter in Lleida Steppes. Finally a number of  Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) were spending the day alongside channels, reedbeds and on paddy fields.

60.000 finches to be captured in Catalonia

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The Catalan Government has approved a new edict that is allowing to hunt over 60.000 finches in Catalonia next winter. All green associations in the country have protested against this crazy law but was approved in the Parliament by the three main political parties. This appointment arrives three years after the abolition of hunting this kind of birds in Catalonia.

The species to be hunt includes Goldfinch (6.504), Greenfinch (3.490) and Linnet (3.367) but are Chaffinch who is gonna take bigger piece of all since 46.800 of them will be killed. The populations of some of these birds are growing last years (overall Chaffinch) but Linnet is a more scarce species every time.

This hunt is related about old southern Spain tradition to hunt singing birds and make sing contests with these birds. It is a deep-roots tradition in many areas of southern Europe. Different green associations in the country have started different actions to protest agaisnt this edict.

http://www.elperiodico.cat/ca/noticias/societat/generalitat-permet-agafar-60000-aus-fringillides-1245869

Brown Bear population increasing in Pyrenees

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At the end of the XX century the French Goverment started a program to save the last Brown Bear population in the Pyrenees. It is almost 15 years since the first brown bear coming from Slovenia was liberated in the Pyrenees, joining the tiny population (2-5 individuals) these mountains had at this time. There was controversial in French and Catalan media and also some local people were opposite to brown bears.

2005 Brown bear (Ursus arctos) distribution map in Pyrenees. http://www.depana.org

Despite these initial problems, today the brown bear population is well established in Central Pyrenees, mainly around Val d’Aran, in Catalonia. There are about 30 brown bears in the whole of the Pyrenees, and about 25 living in Val d’Aran and areas around (mainly north Pallars). It is a nice new to say local people have changed their opinions about bears since most of them are proud to have this impressive mammal living in their forests.

Brown Bear in the Pyrenees. Photo; Carles Oliver

2011/12 winter is gonna see a big number of puppies because of until there are 6 females to reproduce. Since XXth 80’s that there are not so many females to reproduce in one spring in the Pyrenees!! This is an astonishing change in thirty years, when the species was almost erradicated from these mountains and this change is thanks to French and Catalan Goverments as well as DEPANA, ADET, Fiep and other NGO’s.