Saker success in Bulgaria

21/08/2018

A Saker Falcon nest has been found in Bulgaria for the first time in a decade, with two chicks having hatched and successfully fledged. The discovery was made by a team of conservationists from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) and BirdLife Bulgaria. The finding has fuelled hoped that this globally Endangered raptor is on course to re-establish a breeding population in the eastern European country, following a recent reintroduction scheme.

During the past few years, Green Balkans and the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research have been leading the Saker Falcon reintroduction project in Bulgaria. In 2015, a number of birds were bred in captivity and released, following a programme to help them adapt to living in the wild. The newly discovered breeding pair was found to have originated from that scheme, with the male identified as ‘5E’ and the female as ‘5P’.

Saker Falcons were formerly abundant across Bulgaria, but they suffered a steep decline during the middle of the 20th century, with only one or two pairs estimated to be breeding by 2000. This decline mirrors a global drop in numbers and stems from a number of causes, including habitat destruction, intensive farming practices (and consequent food scarcity) and a nationwide persecution of birds of prey. However, the recent news is anticipated to be the first step towards re-establishing a sustainable breeding population across Bulgaria.

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Birds diplomacy: Permit issued to Dubai ruler for export of 25 rare falcons

ISLAMABAD: In wake of birds diplomacy, the federal government has issued a special permit to the ruler of Dubai to export 25 falcons of a rare and endangered species from Pakistan to the UAE, local media quoting sources said today.

This is violation of local wildlife protection laws as well as various international treaties on nature conservation signed by the country.

According to reports quoting highly placed sources, by issuing the permit to Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, the foreign ministry has put at risk the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP-Plus) status given to Pakistan by the European Union. The move will also promote illegal wildlife trade and trafficking.

The reports said Arab hunters used the rare migratory falcons — Saker and Peregrine — to hunt internationally protected houbara bustard whose meat is considered to be an aphrodisiac, though not supported by any scientific research.

This is the second such export permit issued by the government this season. The earlier one was issued a few days ago to Saudi Prince Fahd, who is Governor of Tabuk province. He had attracted global attention last year when news about his hunting 2,100 houbara bustards in Balochistan’s Chagai district appeared in the media.

The export permit “No: DCP (P&I) – 18/6/2015 – 16/Falcons/UAE” was issued in mid-Oct and sent to the UAE Embassy. It stated that the authorities concerned had been requested to accord facilitation for export of the falcons.

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Falcon found at Dunbar

The Scottish SPCA is seeking the owner of a saker falcon found at Dunbar.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity was called to rescue the bird after a member of the public spotted it at Thorntonloch Caravan Park on Thursday (November 14). A rope attached to its legs had become entangled in a fence.

The bird is now in the care of the charity’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, near Alloa.

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UAE releases 93 endangered falcons into the wild in Kazakhstan

The UAE, under the Shaikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme (SZFRP), has released 93 endangered falcons this year in Kazakhstan. This takes the number of the bird of the culturally emblematic birds released into their natural habitat in the wild, since the programme started in 1995, to 1,554, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) said in a statement.

The programme, under the patronage of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is now in its 19th successive year and indications are that the numbers of falcons in the wild are growing as a result of the work being done by Abu Dhabi to restore a bird crucial to local heritage, the statement said.

The first falcon release programme, under the directives of late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan, was launched in Pakistan’s Balochistan province with 100 birds of prey, all tagged for identification and tracking. After another release again in Balochistan, the third was launched in Pakistan’s Northern Area of Gilgit-Baltistan and then a large number of releases in Central Asia, particularly the Kazakh region.

This year’s release carried out from May 16-18 included a total number of 46 Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) and 47 Saker falcons (Falco cherrug) in Kurchum, Eastern Kazakhstan for the fifth consecutive year.

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