Bird conservation news

Diggers versus Beavers

The riparian forests along the rivers Danube and Drau are home for sea eagles, black storks, and beavers and many other rare animal and plant species. The unspoiled nature, however, is in danger:

Croatia plans to straighten and excavate the rivers and build electric power stations on the riverbanks. The film “Wading in to protect the European Amazon” shows which dramatic impacts these projects would have on this unique river landscape.

Living with water

As manager of the nature park Lonjsko Polje in the Sava wetlands, Goran Gugic has created a model of how cultural landscapes in Europe can be efficiently protected. On October 2011 he will be awarded with this year's EuroNatur prize on the island of Mainau, Lake Constance.

A New Home for Ospreys

„Ben is back in Villaviciosa.“ Roberto Hartasánchez, president of EuroNatur partner Fapas is delighted. Since September 14th, the young male osprey has returned from its breeding grounds in England to the Villaviciosa lagoon, situated at the coast of north Spain, to overwinter there as last year.

A Gallery for the White Stork

The Toczylowski family estate is located on the border of the wetlands of the Narew River in northeastern Poland, which thanks to intensive protection measures presently hosts 31 stork pairs with a total of 60 juveniles. In time for the 10th anniversary of the "European Stork Village" Tykocin, the inauguration of the stork gallery took place on the Pentowo estate.

Ambassador for Stork Protection

On May 29 2011, EuroNatur awarded the title of 11th European stork village to the scenic Turkish village of Eskikaraagac, honouring the villagers' outstanding efforts to protect the white stork and the cultural landscape at Lake Uluabat, well known for its rich biodiversity.

House-Building for Mr. Stork

Ready for the return of the storks: volunteers have put up twelve new nesting platforms in the Polish stork village Pentowo last weekend despite frosty temperatures. 35 hatcheries are now ready for the homecoming storks.

Imperial Eagle Gabriela traced

On December 4, the Bulgarian NGO Green Balkans succeeded in locating the radio-tagged female Imperial Eagle called Gabriela in the area of the Dervent Heights, close to the Turkish border. Gabriela is the third of the Imperial Eagles radio-tagged by Green Balkans that has survived its first 1-2 critical years.

Crane Juula Arrives in Slano Kopovo

The Estonian crane Juula has arrived at the nature reserve Slano Kopovo for a stopover on its long flight to the wintering grounds in North Africa. Researchers of the Estonian university at Tartu have equipped Juula and two more cranes with transmitters to be able to trace their journey to and from their wintering grounds. The researchers’ website shows the current station of the birds.

Record in Polish Stork Village

A farm with 126 storks is currently a great attraction in the northeast of Poland. In Pentowo, a district of Tykocin, which is situated near the wetlands of the river Narew, a single farm hosts the largest White Stork colony in Poland.

New Rings for Storks

Since last Friday, 50 young storks from the European Stork Village of Belozem in Bulgaria have been clearly recognisable. Field workers of Green Balkans, partner of EuroNatur, marked the stork chicks with numbered and coloured rings. EuroNatur supported this action with which the Bulgarian nature protection organization launched a nationwide ringing programme.