Aren't you all lucky, two post's in one night but I have come across several new websites relating to a variety of bird of prey projects. Take a look below or come back later and check out my bird of prey related web pages!
Eagle Conservation Committee in Poland - http://eagle.free.ngo.pl/cele.htm
Raptor Conservation Working Group (Milvus) - http://milvus.ro/working-groups/raptor-conservation
Imperial Eagle Conservation in Hungary - http://www.imperialeagle.hu/indexa.html
Bearded Vulture Monitoring - http://www.gyp-monitoring.com/
Black Vulture Conservation Foundation - http://bvcf.joopbox.com/eng/index.php
Grey Falcon Study - http://www.jonnybird-australia.com/greyfalcon.htm
I hope you enjoy them, I will endeavour to update the bird of prey book page as I have many new titles which need adding. Coming soon will be updates and the start of the species specific page and under the microscope page aswell so keep coming back!
Jimmi
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Raptors around the world!
Something that I would really like to change for wild birds of prey is the wild trapping and selling of raptors at flea markets and street stalls that goes on in some countries. I have come across it so many times while researching various things relating to birds of prey and the photos always send me into a deep depression. Plans are in place by myself to try and raise funds and awareness for the few organisations that do work tirelessly towards a solution.
On the issue of birds of prey being trapped and persecuted take a look at the links below, the first one is a report on illegal raptor trapping in Iraq. The second link introduces a rehabilatation centre titled Green Balkans based in Bulgaria, rescuing many birds of prey each year.
http://www.wmenews.com/newsletters/1312483233WME_V6I1_en-7.pdf
http://www.greenbalkans-wrbc.org/index.php?language=en_EN&cat_id=2
A bit more species specific are two organisations which are working to help conserve two certain species of birds of prey. The first one is based in Italy and it is working to preserve Red Kites in two nature reserves in Central Italy. The second page is an organisation working to help save and reintroduce the Saker Falcon in Bulgaria, take a look at the fantastic work for a beautiful falcon.
http://www.lifesavetheflyers.it/
http://www.cherrug.org/index.htm
Two final pages concern raptor migration and in particular raptor corridors, these are routes across land that on migration get high concentrations of migrating birds. The first one is based in North America, and it has loads of interesting documents covering raptor migration including a great image gallery. Secondly I maybe repeating myself but it is the request for migration volunteers for the Batumi Raptor count in Bulgaria, it takes place each year and if you want to improve your raptor identification and help with a worthwhile conservation project take a look at the link below.
http://www.raptorcorridor.org/
http://www.batumiraptorcount.org/
All of the above web pages will be added to my links page so if you ever want to re-visit them, rather than search through my posts just click on the bird of prey related pages on the right hand side!
Still a great time for us Brits to get out and see our native birds of prey, I went for a nice walk today on my local patch with the dogs and heard and sighted numerous juvenile Buzzards calling, a female Sparrowhawk circling above a small coppice and a Kestrel hovering over a hedgerow! Brilliant stuff!
On the issue of birds of prey being trapped and persecuted take a look at the links below, the first one is a report on illegal raptor trapping in Iraq. The second link introduces a rehabilatation centre titled Green Balkans based in Bulgaria, rescuing many birds of prey each year.
http://www.wmenews.com/newsletters/1312483233WME_V6I1_en-7.pdf
http://www.greenbalkans-wrbc.org/index.php?language=en_EN&cat_id=2
A bit more species specific are two organisations which are working to help conserve two certain species of birds of prey. The first one is based in Italy and it is working to preserve Red Kites in two nature reserves in Central Italy. The second page is an organisation working to help save and reintroduce the Saker Falcon in Bulgaria, take a look at the fantastic work for a beautiful falcon.
http://www.lifesavetheflyers.it/
http://www.cherrug.org/index.htm
Two final pages concern raptor migration and in particular raptor corridors, these are routes across land that on migration get high concentrations of migrating birds. The first one is based in North America, and it has loads of interesting documents covering raptor migration including a great image gallery. Secondly I maybe repeating myself but it is the request for migration volunteers for the Batumi Raptor count in Bulgaria, it takes place each year and if you want to improve your raptor identification and help with a worthwhile conservation project take a look at the link below.
http://www.raptorcorridor.org/
http://www.batumiraptorcount.org/
All of the above web pages will be added to my links page so if you ever want to re-visit them, rather than search through my posts just click on the bird of prey related pages on the right hand side!
Still a great time for us Brits to get out and see our native birds of prey, I went for a nice walk today on my local patch with the dogs and heard and sighted numerous juvenile Buzzards calling, a female Sparrowhawk circling above a small coppice and a Kestrel hovering over a hedgerow! Brilliant stuff!
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Soggy Owls!
Well it feels like summer has been and gone, the wind is up and biting and I can't help but notice leaves gathering along the drive I go down to work and then the rain sets in. I actually love the varied weather we have in the UK although it did me no favours last week when I was carrying out an Owl Prowl for the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. The idea was a leaisurely walk around my local patch which has three owl species living on it and chat about there ecology and lives and maybe a possible glimpse of one or two.
On the night before I decided to go and see if I could see any of the Barn Owls I had been involved in ringing a month previously. The male bird has been roosting in an old derelict barn whilst the female and young have been using a pole nest box and I had been reliably informed the male usually appears about 8.30pm. The male bird didnt disappoint as he came curving out of the barn and off down the maize field in the direction of the nest box, I made my way down the bridle path which eventually runs adjacently to the nest box. I soon heard the shrill hissing shriek of a young Barn Owl begging and then over the hedge row not two but three Barn owls made there way down the bridle path and off onto the meadows, I decided to go and find a nice spot with a good view of the lower meadows and the nest box and wait for the owls to return, within 10 minutes the first owl appeared gliding across the rough grassland up away from the nest box and then another owl appeared quartering the lower meadow then plunging into the grass before rising and following the first owls path. They must have been the adults because in a large Oak tree the third owl landed hissing and shrieking while looking in the direction of where the adults had gone, I had a great view of it through my binoculars until it got better and the youngster flew up onto the nest box. It sat there swivelling its head before it locked its stare onto me tucked into the hedge and flew straight towards me and just 20ft above my head, as it passed over I made a light squeak through pursed lips and the owl did a near 180 degree turn to fly back over my head and off back down the meadows. I decided to leave the owls in peace, and wander back to the car, now if my guests on the Owl Prowl could get that sort of experience it would be money well spent.
Sadly this wasn't to be the case as the weather the following night was terrible for owls, we didnt quite have the heavy rain expected but it blew a gale and we had showers. The three participants that braved the weather seemed to enjoy the walk despite the weather and we managed to hear the resident Little Owls but sadly no Barn Owl sightings and the winds ruined any chance of hearing the Tawny owls in the woods.
I will be holding more bird of prey related activities on my local patch, hopefully the weather will be with me and I can show my guests the same experiences I have had on my patch. Watch out for updates!
On the night before I decided to go and see if I could see any of the Barn Owls I had been involved in ringing a month previously. The male bird has been roosting in an old derelict barn whilst the female and young have been using a pole nest box and I had been reliably informed the male usually appears about 8.30pm. The male bird didnt disappoint as he came curving out of the barn and off down the maize field in the direction of the nest box, I made my way down the bridle path which eventually runs adjacently to the nest box. I soon heard the shrill hissing shriek of a young Barn Owl begging and then over the hedge row not two but three Barn owls made there way down the bridle path and off onto the meadows, I decided to go and find a nice spot with a good view of the lower meadows and the nest box and wait for the owls to return, within 10 minutes the first owl appeared gliding across the rough grassland up away from the nest box and then another owl appeared quartering the lower meadow then plunging into the grass before rising and following the first owls path. They must have been the adults because in a large Oak tree the third owl landed hissing and shrieking while looking in the direction of where the adults had gone, I had a great view of it through my binoculars until it got better and the youngster flew up onto the nest box. It sat there swivelling its head before it locked its stare onto me tucked into the hedge and flew straight towards me and just 20ft above my head, as it passed over I made a light squeak through pursed lips and the owl did a near 180 degree turn to fly back over my head and off back down the meadows. I decided to leave the owls in peace, and wander back to the car, now if my guests on the Owl Prowl could get that sort of experience it would be money well spent.
Sadly this wasn't to be the case as the weather the following night was terrible for owls, we didnt quite have the heavy rain expected but it blew a gale and we had showers. The three participants that braved the weather seemed to enjoy the walk despite the weather and we managed to hear the resident Little Owls but sadly no Barn Owl sightings and the winds ruined any chance of hearing the Tawny owls in the woods.
I will be holding more bird of prey related activities on my local patch, hopefully the weather will be with me and I can show my guests the same experiences I have had on my patch. Watch out for updates!
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Two New Pages!
I have added two new pages to the right hand tool bar on the main page to try and bring something new to the blog I'll stick the title of the page below with a bit of a brief description about how it will hopefully work or what my idea is!
Under The Microscope
The idea behind this page was for me to look at something relating to birds of prey in a bit more detail and write a piece about it for this blog page. The topic could be anything, a raptor conservation organisation, a current news article, a new or old topic relating to birds of prey or an interview with someone who is involved with birds of prey and conservation.
I Haven't Heard of That Raptor
I'll happily admit I don't know every species of bird of prey there is in the world but thats brilliant because I love learning about a new species. The idea is quite simple for this page, to learn a bit more about the different species of raptors there are, with over 300 species of diurnal raptors and roughly 250 species of Owls there is plenty to get stuck into. I'm going to write each individual species on a slip of paper and pull them out individually. Please don't expect this to be a definitive guide but using some of my guide books or even a specialist guest blogger I hope to introduce some species you might not have heard about and if you have some knowledge about the current species let me know!
Hopefully these two pages might bring something new to the blog, I will get started on the first editions this week. It will probably take me a week to write all the species down on little slips of paper!
As always if you have any comments please get in touch.
Under The Microscope
The idea behind this page was for me to look at something relating to birds of prey in a bit more detail and write a piece about it for this blog page. The topic could be anything, a raptor conservation organisation, a current news article, a new or old topic relating to birds of prey or an interview with someone who is involved with birds of prey and conservation.
I Haven't Heard of That Raptor
I'll happily admit I don't know every species of bird of prey there is in the world but thats brilliant because I love learning about a new species. The idea is quite simple for this page, to learn a bit more about the different species of raptors there are, with over 300 species of diurnal raptors and roughly 250 species of Owls there is plenty to get stuck into. I'm going to write each individual species on a slip of paper and pull them out individually. Please don't expect this to be a definitive guide but using some of my guide books or even a specialist guest blogger I hope to introduce some species you might not have heard about and if you have some knowledge about the current species let me know!
Hopefully these two pages might bring something new to the blog, I will get started on the first editions this week. It will probably take me a week to write all the species down on little slips of paper!
As always if you have any comments please get in touch.
Plenty of things to read about!
Well its gorgeous weather outside, I have spent the morning at a horse event in the gorgeous grounds of Cholmondeley castle and like all good supportive boyfriends I got bored noticed a large mere with plenty of dragon flies so went looking for hunting Hobbies, you never know!
I've got plenty of stuff for you all to read from the world of birds of prey so I hope you find at least some of it interesting. Let me know if theres anything else you want me to dig up for you!
Firstly a good friend of mine has just had published a new field guide which he helped co-author titled A Field Guide To Monitoring Nests which is a comprehensive and detailed guide into the nests of 145 species of British breeding birds. I have been fortunate to spend time in the field with Richard Castell and learnt a fair bit about the obsessive art of nest finding and let me be honest theres not many people better at nest finding than Richard Castell. Take a look below
http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/nrs/field-guide
Here in the UK I have a couple of pieces to relay to you, some great news from Wales firstly in that the Cors Dyfi pair of Ospreys have successfully bred and the first youngster since 1604 has fledged. You can read more on the link here http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/ospreycors-dyfi.html#cr
More news from the Wildlife Extra page is for Golden Eagles in Scotland and the news that the Scottish government has denied consent for a 14 turbine wind farm. http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/eagle-wind-farms.html#cr
Wind farms are currently the new topic when it comes to conserving energy in the UK but that is not to say they are a new idea, around the globe they are used inland and have proved fatal for large birds of prey like the Golden Eagle. They are also known to kill other bird species and bats, but what does the future hold for a species like the Golden Eagle which has managed to survive extensive persecution thanks to its inhospitable habitats in Northern Scotland, a piece has been written on the Raptor Politics site and can be read here http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2011/07/29/the-golden-eagle-in-scotland-%e2%80%93-what-future-awaits-these-iconic-raptors-in-the-21st-century/
Some of you might remember I had mentioned Simon Thomsett and his three piece interview on the Crowned Eagle on the African Raptors site, well Simon also has a blog that he updates and the most recent post has just dropped into my inbox, have a read and why not start following Simon yourself http://simonthomsett.wildlifedirect.org/2011/07/28/rehabilitating-a-tawny-eagle/
Another newsletter that has just recently dropped into my inbox is from the Belize Raptor Research Institute, I love reading about foreign conservation projects especially successes and they have had a couple of good pieces of news to report, take a look at the newsletter here http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/13983865/1772642322/name/Solitarius-%20BRRI%20Newsletter%20Summer%202011.pdf
Any of you who might be interested in getting away to another country and helping raptors then take a look at the Batumi Raptor Count in Georgia. Sadly in Europe and further afield birds of prey are still shot and persecuted by hunters and they need our help, I dare say this trip wouldn't be for the faint hearted after looking at some of the hunting pictures in the gallery but they need our support and what a fantastic chance to improve your Raptor ID skills. http://www.batumiraptorcount.org/countin2011.htm
I haven't had chance to digest the next article but the evolution of birds is something that fascinates me, I have been sent a new article regarding a new fossilised bird found in China that is thought to be older than the Archaeopteryx. The article is here http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/27/7179711-oldest-bird-knocked-off-its-perch
Finally I was contacted recently asking if I could alert the readers of this blog about the work being carried out in Bulgaria for the Egyptian Vulture, sadly they are down to just 30 pairs! have a look at the website here and I will add it to the website page for future reference http://www.neophron.bspb.org/index-en.html
Bulgaria also has another website titled save the raptors highlighting conservation efforts in the country for the Imperial Eagle and Saker Falon the website is http://www.saveraptors.org/en/
You can also read a new interview about the Eastern Imperial Eagle in the Ukraine on this link below
http://europeanraptors.org/interviews/interview_eastern_imperial_eagle_ukraine_vitaly_vetrov.html
WOW there is a lot there for you to get through and I will be following this post with another one regarding the two new pages I have added to the right hand toolbar on the main screen. Hope you enjoy!
I've got plenty of stuff for you all to read from the world of birds of prey so I hope you find at least some of it interesting. Let me know if theres anything else you want me to dig up for you!
Firstly a good friend of mine has just had published a new field guide which he helped co-author titled A Field Guide To Monitoring Nests which is a comprehensive and detailed guide into the nests of 145 species of British breeding birds. I have been fortunate to spend time in the field with Richard Castell and learnt a fair bit about the obsessive art of nest finding and let me be honest theres not many people better at nest finding than Richard Castell. Take a look below
http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/nrs/field-guide
Here in the UK I have a couple of pieces to relay to you, some great news from Wales firstly in that the Cors Dyfi pair of Ospreys have successfully bred and the first youngster since 1604 has fledged. You can read more on the link here http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/ospreycors-dyfi.html#cr
More news from the Wildlife Extra page is for Golden Eagles in Scotland and the news that the Scottish government has denied consent for a 14 turbine wind farm. http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/eagle-wind-farms.html#cr
Wind farms are currently the new topic when it comes to conserving energy in the UK but that is not to say they are a new idea, around the globe they are used inland and have proved fatal for large birds of prey like the Golden Eagle. They are also known to kill other bird species and bats, but what does the future hold for a species like the Golden Eagle which has managed to survive extensive persecution thanks to its inhospitable habitats in Northern Scotland, a piece has been written on the Raptor Politics site and can be read here http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2011/07/29/the-golden-eagle-in-scotland-%e2%80%93-what-future-awaits-these-iconic-raptors-in-the-21st-century/
Some of you might remember I had mentioned Simon Thomsett and his three piece interview on the Crowned Eagle on the African Raptors site, well Simon also has a blog that he updates and the most recent post has just dropped into my inbox, have a read and why not start following Simon yourself http://simonthomsett.wildlifedirect.org/2011/07/28/rehabilitating-a-tawny-eagle/
Another newsletter that has just recently dropped into my inbox is from the Belize Raptor Research Institute, I love reading about foreign conservation projects especially successes and they have had a couple of good pieces of news to report, take a look at the newsletter here http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/13983865/1772642322/name/Solitarius-%20BRRI%20Newsletter%20Summer%202011.pdf
Any of you who might be interested in getting away to another country and helping raptors then take a look at the Batumi Raptor Count in Georgia. Sadly in Europe and further afield birds of prey are still shot and persecuted by hunters and they need our help, I dare say this trip wouldn't be for the faint hearted after looking at some of the hunting pictures in the gallery but they need our support and what a fantastic chance to improve your Raptor ID skills. http://www.batumiraptorcount.org/countin2011.htm
I haven't had chance to digest the next article but the evolution of birds is something that fascinates me, I have been sent a new article regarding a new fossilised bird found in China that is thought to be older than the Archaeopteryx. The article is here http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/27/7179711-oldest-bird-knocked-off-its-perch
Finally I was contacted recently asking if I could alert the readers of this blog about the work being carried out in Bulgaria for the Egyptian Vulture, sadly they are down to just 30 pairs! have a look at the website here and I will add it to the website page for future reference http://www.neophron.bspb.org/index-en.html
Bulgaria also has another website titled save the raptors highlighting conservation efforts in the country for the Imperial Eagle and Saker Falon the website is http://www.saveraptors.org/en/
You can also read a new interview about the Eastern Imperial Eagle in the Ukraine on this link below
http://europeanraptors.org/interviews/interview_eastern_imperial_eagle_ukraine_vitaly_vetrov.html
WOW there is a lot there for you to get through and I will be following this post with another one regarding the two new pages I have added to the right hand toolbar on the main screen. Hope you enjoy!
Friday, 22 July 2011
Where did it go?
The last month is what I mean! I cannot believe it has been nearly a month since I last made a contribution so I apologise, but it has been a busy month.
So what have I been doing and what is going on in the raptor world, well I have been busy helping a friend with his raptor ringing which has included a variety of species. For those of you not in the know about raptor ringing, you must be licenced in order to disturb and/or interfere with wild birds of prey in the UK, my friend is fully licensed and monitors a number of species on his patches of land and it is a joy to have been involved.
The majority of British birds of prey will have finished the breeding process and youngsters will now be out on the wing so it is the perfect time to see birds of prey in Britain. Barn Owls and Sparrowhawks will be fledging about now and then thats the 2011 year wrapped up so it will be interesting to see how species have managed this year.
I did ask myself a question this year about one particular species which is very scarce and secretive in the UK, how well have Honey Buzzards done this year? The one reason I pondered this is because I have seen next to no Wasps this summer in my part of the world, Wasp grubs are a large part of the Honey Buzzards diet but I don't know whether their is a nationwide shortage of them and whether it would truly affect the few HB which visit our shores?
Those of you interested in how Britains Ospreys faired this year have a look at the link below, things finished off pretty well.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/2011-osprey-july.html#cr
Those of you interested in Eagles and who may have started reading Simon Thomsett's account of the African Crowned Eagle can find the third installment below, its on the African Raptor page make sure to take a look round as there is plenty more new stuff.
http://www.africanraptors.org/interviews-2/
Meanwhile in America they are facing more heartache with lead ammunition still being used and congressional bills being introduced which could have a negative impact on wildlife and raptors, read more on the link below.
http://www.raptorresearchfoundation.org/rrf/lead
When it comes to birds of prey in the news why not take a look at the BBC News page on the link page below.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/news/?q=birds%20of%20prey
Finally I need to put a bit more effort into this site so I'm going to add a couple of new pages to the site, both of which will put the spotlight on a certain area of birds of prey. Watch this space and I will try and add something tonight or over the weekend.
So what have I been doing and what is going on in the raptor world, well I have been busy helping a friend with his raptor ringing which has included a variety of species. For those of you not in the know about raptor ringing, you must be licenced in order to disturb and/or interfere with wild birds of prey in the UK, my friend is fully licensed and monitors a number of species on his patches of land and it is a joy to have been involved.
The majority of British birds of prey will have finished the breeding process and youngsters will now be out on the wing so it is the perfect time to see birds of prey in Britain. Barn Owls and Sparrowhawks will be fledging about now and then thats the 2011 year wrapped up so it will be interesting to see how species have managed this year.
I did ask myself a question this year about one particular species which is very scarce and secretive in the UK, how well have Honey Buzzards done this year? The one reason I pondered this is because I have seen next to no Wasps this summer in my part of the world, Wasp grubs are a large part of the Honey Buzzards diet but I don't know whether their is a nationwide shortage of them and whether it would truly affect the few HB which visit our shores?
Those of you interested in how Britains Ospreys faired this year have a look at the link below, things finished off pretty well.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/2011-osprey-july.html#cr
Those of you interested in Eagles and who may have started reading Simon Thomsett's account of the African Crowned Eagle can find the third installment below, its on the African Raptor page make sure to take a look round as there is plenty more new stuff.
http://www.africanraptors.org/interviews-2/
Meanwhile in America they are facing more heartache with lead ammunition still being used and congressional bills being introduced which could have a negative impact on wildlife and raptors, read more on the link below.
http://www.raptorresearchfoundation.org/rrf/lead
When it comes to birds of prey in the news why not take a look at the BBC News page on the link page below.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/news/?q=birds%20of%20prey
Finally I need to put a bit more effort into this site so I'm going to add a couple of new pages to the site, both of which will put the spotlight on a certain area of birds of prey. Watch this space and I will try and add something tonight or over the weekend.
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Busy Busy!
Well its nearly the end of June and I haven't had chance to sit down and write on the blog although I have been keeping my finger on the raptor pulse, mainly out in the field. June is when all the young birds of prey are growing up and getting active so I've been very busy helping friends with monitoring and ringing young.
But whats going on around the world with birds of prey, well I have been reading some fantastic interviews from the African raptor web page including a fascinating in depth interview with Simon Thomsett about his extenxsive studies covering the Crowned Eagle its so meaty its in 3 sections but well worth a read. I read part one and many of Simons views and opinions rang several bell's for the future of raptor conservation and human impacts. Check out part one below
http://www.africanraptors.org/simon-thomsett-on-the-african-crowned-eagle-part-1/
Sadly I have also read that the oldest breeding Osprey found in Scotland has failed to hatch any young this year, questions have been linked to the birds age as to why the eggs were infertile but we must not forget that we have had some extremely harsh weather during the breeding season and Roy Dennis a well known Osprey expert has also commented on the hard weather Ospreys have had in Scotland with nest's even being blown out of tree's.
I have a couple of new web pages that I have come across, they might not be new to some readers but I will add them to the Web site links page. The first one is a South African based vulture conservation group working towards raising awareness about the struggle African vultures are currently facing, it has several fantastic downloads including information posters and childrens activitties take a look at http://www.vultureconservation.co.za/
The second website is another page that interest me as it relates to the the illegal trade in wildlife and animals, I have always been interested to find out more about the illegal trapping and trading of birds of prey around the world and whether anything is done about it. I have several pictures that have been sent to me showing birds being sold on the side of streets and in markets they make grim viewing but what is being done about it? The website is http://www.traffic.org/.
I have just started looking into the IUCN Red List in conjunction with Birdlife International on the state of birds of prey in the world. I'm interested to find out how upto date these status's are and what is being done to find out about the status of our more unheard of species, I have already learnt some species I had never really come across and one thing has become clear that if your an endemic species you are usually in trouble. I will publish a table in due course and anything else I manage to find out through this blog page.
But whats going on around the world with birds of prey, well I have been reading some fantastic interviews from the African raptor web page including a fascinating in depth interview with Simon Thomsett about his extenxsive studies covering the Crowned Eagle its so meaty its in 3 sections but well worth a read. I read part one and many of Simons views and opinions rang several bell's for the future of raptor conservation and human impacts. Check out part one below
http://www.africanraptors.org/simon-thomsett-on-the-african-crowned-eagle-part-1/
Sadly I have also read that the oldest breeding Osprey found in Scotland has failed to hatch any young this year, questions have been linked to the birds age as to why the eggs were infertile but we must not forget that we have had some extremely harsh weather during the breeding season and Roy Dennis a well known Osprey expert has also commented on the hard weather Ospreys have had in Scotland with nest's even being blown out of tree's.
I have a couple of new web pages that I have come across, they might not be new to some readers but I will add them to the Web site links page. The first one is a South African based vulture conservation group working towards raising awareness about the struggle African vultures are currently facing, it has several fantastic downloads including information posters and childrens activitties take a look at http://www.vultureconservation.co.za/
The second website is another page that interest me as it relates to the the illegal trade in wildlife and animals, I have always been interested to find out more about the illegal trapping and trading of birds of prey around the world and whether anything is done about it. I have several pictures that have been sent to me showing birds being sold on the side of streets and in markets they make grim viewing but what is being done about it? The website is http://www.traffic.org/.
I have just started looking into the IUCN Red List in conjunction with Birdlife International on the state of birds of prey in the world. I'm interested to find out how upto date these status's are and what is being done to find out about the status of our more unheard of species, I have already learnt some species I had never really come across and one thing has become clear that if your an endemic species you are usually in trouble. I will publish a table in due course and anything else I manage to find out through this blog page.
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