The Canary Egyptian vulture (guirre) population has tripled

[hairybiker]

The guirre (or Canary Egyptian vulture), one of the most dangerous raptors in Europe

"Dangerous"???

If you are dead, yes.  Otherwise, I don't see how.

[Archer]

I think bad translation. Most at threat, not dangerous.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

'Diario' used the word amenazadas which can be translated as threatened.

[milestone11]

The Cabildo de Fuerteventura, through the Ministry of the Environment, has proceeded today, Monday, June 1, to release a female 40H guirre who was picked up by Environment agents in Cofete, on April 26 , after receiving notice from a citizen. At the time of its collection, the animal presented symptoms of poisoning by poisons.

After receiving the pertinent veterinary attention at the Oasis Wildlife, a centre that collaborates with the Cabildo through an agreement for the care and maintenance of injured wildlife species, this 40H breeding female is released following the protocol established by the General Directorate of Fight against Climate Change, based on its powers and in coordination with the Fuerteventura Council.

Before proceeding to release the animal, a GPS / GSM transmitter was implanted by the technical monitoring staff of the Doñana-CSIC Biological Station, which will allow an exhaustive monitoring of the movements and behaviour of the animal after its release and intervene quickly in the event of an unforeseen event.

The Minister of the Environment, Marlene Figueroa, shows her gratitude to the citizens who gave the warning on April 26, “because thanks to them, a prompt intervention was made, ensuring that the animal survived and that today it can be released and can continue to fulfil its role as a breeding female of one of the most emblematic species on the Island and currently endangered, the Majorero Guirre (Neophron percnopeturs majorensis) ”.

Likewise, from the Environment area, citizens are reminded that when such findings are found, they should immediately inform 112, they should not pick up the animal or administer food or drink. Neither is it convenient to manipulate the environment, since it will be the personnel of the Environment who are in charge of providing the necessary care and transferring it to the centre where it can receive the care required for its recovery.

Courtesy of www.cabildofuer.es.

What is 40H Sam, the bird's ring number? I can't find the article to check.

[milestone11]

What is 40H Sam, the bird's ring number? I can't find the article to check.

Honesty, no idea. Could "H" be some kind of size/weight/time measuring unit?

http://www.cabildofuer.es/cabildo/el-cab...uperacion/

Thanks Sam. After I wrote the post, I did a google search on the photo and found the article. I've no idea to what the 40H refers.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Just had a thought: Hembra is Spanish for female so perhaps the 40H is the 40th female to be ringed/accounted for?

From Radio Sintonia:

The Minister of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Canary Islands,José Antonio Valbuena, visited this Tuesday, August 31, the facilities of the Biological Station of La Oliva dedicated to the Life Egyptian Vultureproject, an initiative focused on the protection and conservation of the guirre.
 
During the visit, Minister Valbuena thanked the work of the professionals involved in this initiative, especially the Biodiversity Service of the regional Executive, which seeks to "ensure the survival and reproduction in the distribution area of this species, cataloged as 'in danger of extinction' in the Spanish Catalog of Threatened Species and in the Canary Islands Catalog of Protected Species."

In this sense, the head of the Area advanced that the forecast for this year 2021 is that, between Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, the island on which the project is also developed, the 400 specimens of guirres will be exceeded, a figure much higher than the 150 units identified in 1998. In addition, so far this year a total of 49 offspring have been quantified in the breeding territories, compared to the 36 offspring counted during 2020.
Finally, Valbuena recalled that the Life Egyptian Vulture project has a total budget of 5,084,605 euros, of which about four million are financed by the European Union (EU), since it is an initiative that is also developed in other countries of the continental territory.
The minister was accompanied on the visit by the president of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura,Sergio Lloret; the island's Minister of Environmental Sustainability, Lola García; and the mayor of La Oliva, Pilar González.
Lloret said that "we work with the Government and municipalities in this work of creating greater and greater social awareness about the need to preserve threatened species, specifically in this case of the guirre". For his part, García stressed that "from the institutions we must combat all the risk factors that exist, such as the illegal use of poison, one of the main threats of the species."
In this sense, during the visit there was also a demonstration of the training of the dogs of the Antivenom Canine Unit (UCA) that participate in the Life Egyptian Vultureproject.
Finally, the mayor of La Oliva, Pilar González, thanked the visit of the counselor and recognized the work of the people who carry out their work in the Biological Station of La Oliva, "who contribute to place the municipality of La Oliva as a reference in the protection and conservation of the avifauna of the island of Fuerteventura, especially with a species as sensitive as the guirre, which is also a claim for bird watching tourism and linked to nature".
Growth of the population of guirres
The conservation measures applied from 2004 to the present have allowed the population of guirres in the Canary Islands to grow an average of 5% per year in relation to the data of 1998, the year in which the species did not exceed 150 specimens.


The provisional data of 2021 indicate that in Fuerteventura at least a total of 81 breeding territories would have been reached,which added to the 9 of Lanzarote would make a total of 90 breeding areas. In these areas it has been possible to quantify a total of 49 chickens, which is an absolute record, so that almost certainly this year will exceed 400 specimens.
Life Egyptian Vulture
The direct actions promoted by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning aimed at the preservation and protection of the guirre are encompassed in three lines of work.
On the one hand, the Life Egyptian Vulture project, for which the Canary Islands will have a budget of 1,776,834 euros and whose execution forecast covers until 2023.
In addition, the Ministry of Transition has launched this year, and also until 2023, the service called Conservation actions of threatened species of avifauna in the eastern islands of the Canary Islands. Minimization of the impact associated with climate change, which will be executed by the public company Gestión y Planeamiento Territorial y Ambiental (Gesplan) to give continuity to the general monitoring tasks of the population of guirres once the Life Egyptian Vulture project is completed.
Finally, actions are being developed in collaboration with the companies that own the transmission and distribution power lines of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura to reduce the mortality of the species linked to electrocution and hitching in power lines.
Breakdown of actions


The conservation measures planned between 2017 and until 2023 include, in addition to the monitoring of the population of guirres and the maintenance of the specimens in captivity, the installation of muladar spaces for supplementary food management (feeders), actions aimed at reducing the illegal use of poison, the correction of power lines and the dissemination and awareness of the population about the importance of the conservation of the guirre.
With regard to this last point, more than 5,500 schoolchildren from Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have participated in the workshops organized by the different institutions involved in the project.

[Archer]

I think we may have some more chicks on the way!

Apologies for the photo quality. Taken using telephoto on compact camera, only. At about 300m away.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Great photos Archer!

Fingers crossed for the patter of tiny feet.....

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

from Radio Sintonia:

Released in Fuerteventura a specimen of guirre.
The Cabildo of Fuerteventura reports that it has released a guirre (Neophron percnopterus majorensis) that was collected by environmental agents thanks to a citizen notice. The release was carried out in the municipality of Tuineje, after verifying that the health of the animal was restored and carrying out the pertinent sampling, in which technical monitoring personnel from the Doñana-CSIC Biological Station participated. Likewise, a GPS/GSM transmitter was placed, which will allow an exhaustive monitoring of the movements and behavior of the animal after its release and intervene quickly in the event of an unforeseen event.

 

The institution details that the bird was found in an area near a power line. After the citizen notice, the agents of the Environment to transfer the animal to the veterinary clinic where its recovery would be possible.

In this case it was an adult female weighing 2.59 kilograms who was admitted on February 15, prostrate, with severe dyspnea and inspiratory noises marked by trauma, in addition to conjunctival hyperemia and in the area of the larynx.

The Minister of Environmental Sustainability, Lola García, thanks in the note the citizen collaboration, which is fundamental when it comes to recovering rugged fauna. In spring the breeding season begins, so it is a success that this specimen of reproductive age is returned to the natural environment in optimal conditions. García also recalls that in the case of finding of rugged fauna, it is necessary to call 112.
Likewise, from the Ministry of Environmental Sustainability warns of the need to exercise caution in times of nesting of birds, being necessary to take a series of measures such as not leaving the trails or approaching the nests.

original article for pic

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Radio Sintonia:

A specimen of guirre regains freedom after receiving attention for flight problems.

The Cabildo of Fuerteventura, through the area of Environmental Sustainability, has released a guirre (Neophron percnopterus majorensis) after its recovery. The release was developed after verifying that the health of the animal was restored and carrying out the relevant sampling, in which Gesplan personnel assigned to the Program of Actions for the Recovery of Avifauna Species of the Eastern Islands, promoted by the General Directorate for the Fight against Climate Change and the Environment, participated. also linked to the development of the LIFE Egyptian Vulture project, in particular action D.1.

 

In this case it was an adult female of 2.06 kilograms that entered on April 21, with apparent flight problems. After performing the physical examination and the appropriate tests, the treatment indicated by the veterinarian was applied.

"Right now we are in breeding season, so it is a success that this specimen of reproductive age has been able to be returned to the environment in optimal conditions," said Lola García, Minister of Environmental Sustainability. Citizen collaboration is essential when it comes to recovering rugged fauna. In the case of finding a specimen of guirre or other rugged species it is necessary to call 112.
Likewise, the counselor of the Environmental Sustainability area urged to be cautious in the breeding area of the birds taking measures such as not leaving the trails or not approaching the nests, among others.
link to original article for rather nice pic!