Project Report Migratory Birds 2021-2022

Working together for Europe’s migratory birds

Protecting migratory birds is an enormous challenge. They are the nomads of vertebrates and many species cover huge distances each year as they fly from their stopover sites to their breeding grounds and back. I have taken part in several ringing campaigns for research. It is a very intense experience, which I would not like to miss out on. With the utmost care, the other volunteers and I freed bluethroats, reed warblers, blackcaps and other species from Japanese mist nets, measured their tiny bodies, ringed their delicate little legs and then let them loose as quickly as possible to fly off and provide us with more information about their migration routes.

Even though this work has long become routine, my heart still beats faster today as I do it. Each time I hold one of these delicate birds in my hands, I am overcome by a feeling of fondness and respect. Flying such long distances is proof of incredible stamina and tenacity. And if that wasn’t enough, these migratory birds also have to overcome a series of dangers on their travels. Even when they reach their overwintering sites and breeding grounds these creatures are mostly still not safe.

EuroNatur and our partners have focussed in particular on the Balkans, where we have fought against the illegal shooting, poisoning and capture of birds along the Adriatic flyway and campaigned for unspoilt habitats for them. With your help and the help of our partners in nature conservation, I have had the good fortune to be able to contribute to the work of providing better protection for migratory birds in Europa. Over the following pages, you will find a selection of our most important successes and activities and some insights into the work of our fellow campaigners. Thank you so much for your continued support in sponsoring migratory birds.

Yours

Dr Stefan Ferger, Project Manager Migratory Birds

Illegal bird-hunting in the Balkans

“There is no way we can just stand by and watch”

Klea Duro and Erald Xeka, campaigners from EuroNatur’s partner organisation AOS, feel abandoned by the police and even by the Albanian government. “So far we have not had any confrontations with a poacher and we hope it stays that way,” says Klea. “Nonetheless it is worrying when we go out in the field early in the morning. We see men with guns and hear shots, but at the moment there is no official agency in Albania that we can call on in such cases. Normally we inform the police. They don’t always react as they claim they have more important things to do.  And they don’t know how to deal with cases of wildlife crime. For example, when we reported bird catchers with nets to the police, they wanted us to accompany the officers to the crime scene and explain which species are not allowed to be caught. Situations like this are tricky for us. People we would rather not meet get to see our faces," says Erald.

Yet Erald Xeka and Klea Duro both agree: there is no way they can just stand by and watch birds being killed. Your support has given Klea, Erald and many other bird conservationists in the Balkans the courage to continue their important work – against all the opposition. Thank you so much!

In the Mediterranean region, the number of birds illegally killed or captured is due to be halved by 2030. This is our hope and we are now a significant step nearer. Nonetheless there is still a long way to go. A key factor will be achieving better support from state bodies.

Partners: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Tour du Valat, Croatian Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature (HDZPP), Biom, Slovenian Society for the Protection of Birds (DOPPS), Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia (BPSSS), Centre for the Protection and Study of Birds in Montenegro (CZIP), Naše ptice, Albanian Ornithological Society (AOS), Macedonian Ecological Society (MES), Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA)

Funding: MAVA foundation, EuroNatur donors

Ulcinj Salina – Change for the better in sight

There are grounds for new hope in the situation at the Ulcinj Salina. This salt marsh situated behind the Montenegrin coast is one of the most important habitats for birds along the Adriatic flyway. At times it seemed as though we had lost this pearl to the corrupt Montenegrin state, whose governmental representatives wanted only to develop the area for mass tourism. However, Ulcinj Salina is one of the best examples of how important it is not to give up. And it shows how much more we can achieve working together! At this point, a special thank you goes to those of you who have kept faith with us throughout all the highs and lows, supporting us with your donations so that we can fight for the salt flats.   

When the Ulcinj Salina finally became a nationally and internationally protected area in 2019, we were all delighted. However, while it still remained unclear whether the salt flats were to be private or state property, and there was nobody to take over responsibility for the management of the nature park who was sufficiently qualified to do so and the Montenegrin government was working against us, it was a real muddle. Today, it is a very different story. Since December 2021, we have had cause for hope in the shape of EuroNatur’s 2011 prize-winner, Goran Gugić, who now holds a key position.  As the former head of the Lonjsko Polje nature park in the Croatian Sava meadows, he proved how far he can and will go to protect nature. Since December he has been in charge of developing a suitable management structure for the Ulcinj Salina nature park. Furthermore, it will remain state property.   

So the chances are better than ever that the salt flats will be restored and the area will be returned to its former state as one of Europe’s most valuable bird habitats.

Partners: Centre for the Protection and Study of Birds in Montenegro (CZIP), Dr Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association (MSJA), BirdLife, Tour du Valat

Funding: MAVA Foundation, EuroNatur donors

580 hectare habitat for storks

White storks are real gluttons, even the young. There are earthworms, insects such as large grasshoppers and beetles on the menu, not to mention fish, frogs and snakes and mice, moles, voles and other small mammals too. A family of storks can demolish a huge amount. In southwest Poland, scientists have calculated that stork parents have to come up with 180 kg of food in a breeding season: an average of 1.25 kg a day. The storks search for food across arable fields, pastureland, meadows, and wetlands such as salt flats, marshes, river banks and alluvial forests. Yet these are the very habitats that are becoming increasingly rare in Europe.

“In Eastern and South-eastern Europe in particular, we are setting up convincing model projects that allow damp pasture and meadows to be used in a way that is both economically and ecologically interesting. And we are raising the awareness of the population about preserving these natural and cultural treasures,” says Dr Stefan Ferger. The European Stork Villages are important partners in this because of their trans-European network and the public profile they enjoy. The European Stork Villages initiative has provided an important counterbalance to the growing loss of habitat for storks. The villages selected by EuroNatur for their exemplary commitment to protecting storks function as flagship projects on how to preserve wetland and cultivated landscapes. So far 15 European Stork Villages have been selected. Many of them are important partners for our model projects for the protection of pasture and meadowland.  

In close cooperation with the European Stork Villages and with an investment of around 500,000 Euro, over the past seven years we have succeeded in upgrading wetlands and meadows with a surface area equivalent to 800 football pitches. Your contributions have helped us achieve this!

In indirect ways, we have also improved the situation for tree frogs, snipe and white stork over an area of more than double that, with measures such as rewetting, which has an impact over a wide radius. Yet that was not all; with your help we were able to fund 48 small projects to strengthen the regions in question. We have succeeded in bridging the gap between local people and nature conservation, by, for example, improving the provision of environmental education and developing sustainable tourism.

Partners: European Stork Villages and their national nature conservation partners

Funding: Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation, Fondation pour la Sauvegarde, Bristol Stiftung, EU LIFE, Manfred-Hermsen-Stiftung for Nature Conservation and Environmental Protection, EuroNatur donors

More about the stork villages on the internet at www.storkvillages.net.

Breeding record for Dalmatian pelicans

In the border zone between Albania and Montenegro, tucked in between the Dinaric Mountains, lies Lake Skadar. Here EuroNatur, aided by donations, has been working over many years to help the Dalmatian pelican, the rarest species of pelican in the world.  The installation of breeding platforms on the lake has created ideal nesting conditions and helped it to breed more successfully. Now Andrej Vizi from Montenegro’s Natural History Museum is continuing this work

In the 2021 season, the pelicans began the business of breeding very early. The best spots on the platforms had already been taken by mid-December 2020. As you might expect, it was pretty crowded by the time Vizi carried out a count of the colony at the end of February. At this relatively early stage, he was already able to count 68 young birds. A further 17 nests had adult birds sitting on eggs. This was a new breeding record for the Dalmatian pelicans of Lake Skadar.

Its lush vegetation and extensive flood plains and shallows make these waters, teeming with fish, an important breeding, overwintering and stopover site for hundreds of thousands of birds. The Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), whose wings span almost three meters, is one of the largest birds able to fly. The draining of its habitats, its persecution and the disturbance of its breeding areas have caused its populations to collapse dramatically over the last few decades.

Ten years ago, we and our partners were happy if we got to see any young birds at all on Lake Skadar. The breeding platforms are paying off, but the super-successful breeding season in 2021 is probably also a result of strict Covid restrictions that meant the birds suffered less disturbance.

What donors say

I support EuroNatur, because…

… EuroNatur looks into things that very few others do. The Balkans and the projects there are particularly important for the future of Europe. Sabine B.

… I am convinced that my money is being used sensibly and having a tangible effect where help is needed.  Andreas Gabler

… the foundation has clear goals, which it doggedly pursues with small projects and collaborating well with other nature conservation societies.  Dieter Meister

Our biggest challenges for the future

We want to help further reduce bird crime in the Balkans. The laws to protect birds are already relatively good in some of the countries along the Adriatic flyway. However, apart from non-governmental organisations, hardly anybody bothers to make sure they are kept to and that penalties are imposed for breaches. This is where we would like to achieve a complete change. Preserving the Ulcinj Salina salt flats as one of the most important bird habitats in Europe continues to be one of our most important targets. We want to ensure that there is no further silting up at Ulcinj Salina and that salt water once again flows through its shallow waters. It is also important that the salt marsh should at last be managed for the protection of birds

Please continue to support EuroNatur with your migratory bird sponsorship!