Female Montagu's Harrier in flight.
We
earlier this year, and I've finally finished writing this article (with which I started many times but for one reason or another never finished) on Aguiluchos conservation campaign that has ANSER held annually in La Serena, and I am coordinator. I wanted to keep those words that began in late November:
These days, before the end of the year, and once finished the tedious work "Administrative" associated with Aguiluchos conservation campaign in La Serena (collection and analysis, accounts of expenditure, completing cards for payments, farmers and engineers visit ...). In these last days, when they get away those field trips with long hours in the sun, began to take stock, and we believe that, once again, our efforts have paid off.
Another male in flight.
and another female in flight:
We had a good start due to weather conditions, as the first cold days mid-April and made some couples delayed the stakes, and later the lack of rain and intense heat of early May led to the advancement of harvest, which this year took place from May 13th (two weeks earlier than usual). These circumstances meant that many of the nests with eggs were still at the time of harvest, and no flying chicken came before it. Even leaving an area without mowing around the nest (which we call a "stand"), the chances of predation increased greatly, and are directly proportional to the number of days that the chickens are still there and in the case of eggs, time further increases and the chances of predation logic as well. However
the great work done by volunteers, who this season and marked 168 nests located before harvest (80% of total) and the cooperation of virtually all drivers and farmers, who know what to do when a nest is located, the information received, not only during this campaign, but for the previous years, have made the overall results have been pretty good, despite the circumstances described above. Macho
of Montagu's Harrier approaching the nest, prey:
The female is responsible for feeding the chicks in the nest.
For starters, the total number of nests located (before and during the harvest) was 210, representing an increase of almost 20% over the previous year. Of this total of 210 nests, as indicated, 80% were located and marked by volunteers, thereby facilitating the task of drivers, in this case there was also an increase of 12% over the previous year. We had a total of 44 volunteers, with the following sources:
- Germany: 7
- Netherlands: 1
- Spain 36. Of which:
• Extremadura: 17
• Madrid: 16
• Salamanca: 2
• Euskadi: 1
The total number of chickens flown this year to the amount of 334, belonging to 153 productive nests, and therefore a flight rate of 2.71 and a overall productivity of 2.02. This data is worse than in the previous two seasons, but just in the two previous seasons the weather conditions were very favorable, with frequent rains that delayed the harvest and made more than 65% of chickens in 2,007 and almost 50% in 2008 managed to fly before the harvest, compared to absolute zero this year, if effectively due to the advancement of harvest, this year not a single one did not fly before machines began to mow. And by comparing these data with those of 2,006, which can be considered a normal year, are equally positive, if we consider that in that year flight rate was 2.65 and productivity of 1.44.
We do not want to be too triumphalist. If these results have been achieved through the efforts of many people and the willingness of the Directorate General of the Environment that each year organizes and coordinates the campaign to rescue Aguiluchos throughout Extremadura, defraying much of the cost. Thank you and many others about Montagu chickens have flown this year, but others have fallen by the wayside, and even a few of them have died intentionally.
The following are the volunteers who helped in the campaign:
Juan Antonio Barquero, Brigitte Geiger, Gottfried Geiger, Wolfgang Dreyer, Uli Thiedemann, Claudius Nagler, Sinikka Lennartz, Jonas Geburzi, Sarah Daum, Hans-Martin Krause, Jan Ploeger, Ruurd-Jelle van der Leij, José Antonio Nieto, Víctor Manuel Quintana, Agustin Sanabria, Roberto Villalba, Agatha J. Mateos, Yasmina Annichiarico, Natalia Franco, Catherine Carmona, María Teresa Tena, Manuel Hurtado, Antonio Gallego, Antonio Bunkers, M ª José Márquez, M ª Carmen Márquez, Héctor del Rey, Daniel Merino, Juan Hoyos, Juan Moreno, Luis J. Bernardez, Leonor Torrado, Jesus Sanchez, Miguel del Rey, Maite San Blas, Eduardo Juarez, Javier Montero, José Cabrera, Sonsoles Alberti, José Almorox Zugaritz Biscay, Manuel Calderón.
THANK YOU ALL! Volunteers
locating nests. It is essential to track the birds, sometimes for hours in full sun.
Looking group images I've found that working hours in the field is the least I have recorded images. I have had to settle for this in that while we are not all we are "well requetealiñados" and enjoying a great dinner. But behind this image there are many times hard work in the field.
