Pallid Harrier ringed at Ustica island

Our friend Giuditta Corno sent us two pictures of a beautiful adult male of Pallid Harrier ringed at the island of Ustica at the end of April.
At that island we counted up to 44 migrating Pallid Harriers during spring 2002, while the ringing monitoring at Ustica is made by the Palermo ringing station and coordinated by ISPRA.

Photographic report spring 2011

On the photographic blog of Michele Panuccio a report on spring migration at the Strait of Gibraltar and at the island of Panarea has been posted. To see it click on the picture below.

New paper out now!

A new Medraptors paper is out now on the current issue of British Birds. The paper shows the results of the first systematic survey made in Greece on raptor migration. There are analyzed data collected during five fieldwork seasons carried out between spring 2007 and autumn 2009.

To read more follow the link below:

• Lucia G., Agostini N., Panuccio M., Mellone U., Chiatante G., Tarini D. & Evangelidis A. 2011. Raptor migration at Antikythira, in southern Greece. British Birds 104: 266-270.

News from the islands

After two days of bad weather and strong wind, today 120 and 100 Honey Buzzards were observed migrating respectively at the islands of Panarea and Ustica.
In the pictures below an Honey Buzzard and two ornithologists in action at Ustica.

New M.Sc. Theses!

Some days ago two students graduated and they discussed their theses made within MEDRAPTORS research projects respectively at the Universities of Pavia and Parma.

The first thesis concerns autumn migration at Antikythira in relation to weather conditions while the second investigated the migration and wintering of Marsh and Montagu's Harriers through the analisys of ringing recoveries data provided by EURING.

Diego Tarini - Migrando di isola in isola. Analisi del passaggio autunnale dei rapaci e dell'influenza delle condizioni meteorologiche nella Grecia meridionale [An island hopping migration. Analysis of the southbound passage in relation to weather conditions in Southern Greece]. Università degli Studi di Pavia a.a. 2009/2010.

Lisa Muner - Analisi della migrazione, dello svernamento e della dispersione del Falco di Palude (Circus aeruginosus) e dell'Albanella Minore (Circus pygargus) tra l'Europa e l'Africa [Analysis of the migration, wintering and post-reproductive dispersion of Marsh and Montagu's Harriers between Europe and Africa]. Università degli Studi di Parma a.a. 2009/2010.

Honey buzzards on the Aeolian

Yesterday more than 3500 Honey Buzzards were observed migrating northwards at Panarea, in the Aeolian Isles while 200 passed by Ustica.
In the previous days few birds were observed in both sites. At panarea in particular the more common scene observed was the hunting activity of Marsh harrier and Common buzzard on rats that are very common at this site!