Call for volunteers Strait of Messina

This is the third year of activity of our network at the Strait of Messina and now we are working in the view of establishing an ornithological station. 

The next season of fieldwork will start on the 15th of March until the end of May. We are monitoring the effect of a new powerline on the migration of birds as well as collecting data on birds movents and migratory behaviour of raptors with a radar station and from two different watchpoints. It could be the chance to observe good numbers of raptors (Honey Buzzards, Black Kites, Marsh Harriers, Montagu's Harriers, Pallid Harriers, Lesser Kestrels) moving in the area and also to meet friends and colleagues. Up to 20.000 raptors were counted from a single watchpoint last year. If you would like to join us as a volunteer you are welcome and we will provide food and accomodation. 

Write us an email for further information.

Ornis Italica - Medraptors

Happy new year!

Radar and raptor migration: a new paper out now!

The first paper of our radar team has been published on Journal of Ethology. This research shows that migrating Honey Buzzards modulate the compensation of wind drift at different times of the day, showing a highly plastic behavior during migration. Data were collected at the Strait of Messina in southern Italy during spring 2014 with a radar equipment allowing to track flocks of migrating raptors.

Click on the figure below to download it:

News from the Strait of Gibraltar

The 28th of October was a great migration day at the Strait of Gibraltar. Our friends Juan Ramirez and Rachid El Khamlichi have counted the striking number of 2500 Griffon Vultures from the Moroccan coast! Vultures approached the African coast in a sunny day with a weak westerly wind. Together with them two Rüppell's Vultures. Here following the amazing pictures taken by Juan Ramirez:

Autumn migration 2015

The results of the last monitoring season at the Strait of Messina are exciting, more than 21.000 and 16.000 raptors observed (with a large overlap) from two watchpoints located on the western slope of the Aspromonte mountain. On trektellen it is possible to see the details of our count.

Wings over the Strait: the video!

Here the video of our project of an ornithological station at the Strait of Messina. The video shows the activity we had last two years both in spring and autumn together with Ornis Italica.

A motion to promote raptor monitoring and conservation

A motion was positively voted and promoted by the last Italian Congress of Ornithology. Medraptors has supported the motion because it is necessary to make one step a head in the monitoring and conservation of migratory raptors as already asked by the international agreements signed by the Italian government. Here following the text of the motion addressed to the Italian Ministry of Environment:

The participants to the XVIII Italian Congress of Ornithology held in Caramanico Terme (PE) between 17th and 20th September 2015,  acknowledgingthat:

1. at the international level Italy is required to take concrete actions for the monitoring and conservation of migratory raptors (see in particular the obligations under Article 12 of the Birds Directive n. 2009/147 / EC and point 4 of the Action Plan of the “Raptors MoU " signed by Italy in 2011); 
2. although different groups of ornithologists are involved in monitoring and research projects on migratory raptors in Italy, a coordination to gather basic data for the implementation of the above mentioned conservation instruments is still lacking;
3. at the European level experiences of long-term monitoring exist since long time, thanks to the synergies of the work of institutions, local authorities and associations and individual volunteers; these realities have recently met  within  the EURAPMON project to which the Italian Ministry of the Environment has offered its scientific and  financial support;

call on  the Italian Ministry of the Environment to:

• promote and support the setting up  of a national working group with the formal role to monitor the migration of raptors and to build up a national data bank in line with international standard;
• continue supporting the EURAPMON project so as to promote the integration of national activities at the European level.