As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Northern Bald ibis breeding in Spain

Reintroduction programme providing useful insights into Bald ibis ecology - Our thanks to Proyecto Eremita for this information and the images

June 2013. After the news from Syria that the Northen Bald ibis population there is now functionally extinct (Just one bird returned to Syria this year), some better news from the breeding and reintroduction project in Spain. The programme in Spain (Proyecto Eremita) has been releasing a few birds in Andalucia over the last few years; by 2012 the population had grown to more than 70 birds.
Photo credit Proyecto Eremita

The 2012 project began with a total of 73 free flying birds (37 males and 36 females). The group was divided between two feeding and resting areas. As usual, the group moved through the grasslands near the release site, which are used exclusively for farming. The second foraging area was a golf course and a fighting bull farm located 11 km away from the aviary. This is very close to the former lagoon of La Janda, an important ecological site. The majority of the birds used both areas although some individuals only moved in one area. It is important to note that the birds during this year did not receive any supplementary feeding.

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