Today, 27.09.2020 year around 10:00, a young female short-toed eagle, named Ognjenka went on a migration! She flew a little over 200 km. The highest recorded altitude is 1513 m above sea level, and the speed is 93 km/h. We wish her a happy journey, winter and return!

The bird hatched in the Vršac Mountains this year and is in the program of satellite telemetry from July 29, 2020. years. The satellite transmitter with which the eagle is equipped is the result of good cooperation between the Birds of Prey Protection Foundation, the manager of the “Vršačke planine” and the Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, based on the permission of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The transmitter was financed by the company “Telekom Srbija”, Belgrade.

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The “International Vulture Awareness Day” event is celebrated every year on the first Saturday in September. It is part of the global celebration of the day when we point out the importance and need to protect vultures. Unfortunately, this year, due to the coronary virus pandemic and the measures prescribed by the state, we were not able to celebrate this “holiday” more massively and in the way we are used to.

Despite that, several important things have been done. The team of the Birds of Prey Protection Foundation, in cooperation with “Rezervat Uvac” and the Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, the Institute of National Importance for the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, released two young Griffon Vultures in the Uvac Reserve, who were recovering in the shelter’s aviary, after jumping out of their nests prematurely. The birds were previously marked and professionally treated and took off quite nicely. The third bird, which was also planned to be released, will remain in the aviary for some time, because it is estimated that it has not recovered enough for the first flight.

Apart from Serbia, this year the Birds of Prey Protection Foundation participated in the celebration of this day in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with “Novi Val” from Blagaj and the Ornithological Society “Naše ptice” from Sarajevo. An attempt was made to release our griffon vulture “Luka”, who was in an aviary in Blagaj, and is originally from Trešnjica.

Story about uUka is avialable HERE… »

Unfortunately, Luka did not want to take off again, so he was sent back to the aviary.

Bad news is coming to us from SNR “Uvac”. Yesterday, a Golden Eagle died, which, according to the testimony of the veterinarian who examined it, was shot. The shot eagle was found near the hydroelectric power plant in the middle of the Special Nature Reserve “Uvac” and was found by the guardian of the hydroelectric power plant, about which he informed the rangers of the Reserve. The bird was examined by a veterinarian, who provided first aid, but the bird died on the way to the Belgrade ZOO.

Golden Eagle is a strictly protected species in Serbia, and this is a criminal offense. In addition, hunters are not allowed to enter the Special Nature Reserve with rifles. Criminal charges have been filed against unidentified persons. We’ll see what the investigation says.

In January 2016, a griffon vulture was shot at the Uvca feeding ground. The perpetrator of this crime was not punished, but the case was outdated and rejected. We hope it will be different this time.

The Birds of Prey Prtoection Foundation will celebrate the “International Vulutre Day ” on September 5, 2020, in the Uvac Reserve. Unfortunately, this year, due to the coronavirus, we are not able to organize a trip with our dear members and friends to Uvac, but whoever is able to come, is certainly welcome!

For a decade now, the Foundation, together with many organizations in our country, but also in the world, has been drawing the public’s attention to the need to protect the most endangered group of birds of prey, especially vultures, at the beginning of September. We will organize the celebration of the International Vulture Day in cooperation with the Institute for Biological Research “Sinisa Stankovic”, the University of Belgrade, “Reserve Uvac”, and the Institute for Nature Protection of Serbia has been invited to join us. The main event will be the release of three Griffon Vultures, which were “victims” of helicopter flights in the Reserve during July and August this year, and which are currently in the aviary of the Shelter for Soups on Uvac.

Rastoke feeding place, photo by Sasa Preradovic

Apart from Serbia, this year the Foundation is marking the International Day for the Protection of Vultures in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with “Novi Val” from Blagaj and the Ornithological Society “Naše ptice” from Sarajevo by releasing our Griffon Vulture Luka, which is currently in the aviary in Blagaju, and he is from Trešnjica.

More about this HERE… »

Luka, Photo Saša Malezić

You can find the Griffon Vulture Monitoring and Marking Report for 2020 < HERE… »/strong>

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“Vultures above the borders” is the slogan under which live international cooperation is taking place to protect this endangered group of birds. Our Griffon Vulture, Zlatar, which has been in the satellite telemetry program for almost two years, has been showing us for the last two weeks the importance of cooperation in the protection of vultures in the entire region.

Zlatar hatched on Uvac in 2017, he was found exhausted near place Kragujevac, Serbia. After a successful recovery, he was released on Uvac on the September 1, 2018. year, marked with a red-yellow wing marker number “02”, but also equipped with a satellite transmitter. Since then, he has been monitored within the satellite telemetry program of the Birds of Prey Protection Foundation from Belgrade.

“Zlatar”

Until recently, Zlatar visited mainly Uvac and Pester, but he also regularly visited Milesevka. He was also the first bird in this satellite telemetry program who visited the northernmost vultures colony in Tresnjica.
However, he did not undertake longer the “International” wanderings until July 14, 2020, when he headed straight – to the west. In the last two weeks, Zlatar visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and flew to Greece.

It is noticeable that he did not move at random and that he visited places where colonies of this species used to be and where we could (together) bring them back! Since vultures are social birds and rarely travel alone, he is probably not alone, which gives hope for the return of the species to the entire Balkans.
All this shows that there are huge spaces that they visit and that the protection of the species is very dependent on our cooperation and the application of active protection measures throughout the Balkans.

Dear colleagues from Greece, welcome Zlatar. We know he will be fine with you. 🙂

The Birds of Prey Protection Foundation, in cooperation with the Manager of the “Vršac Mountain” and with the permission of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, installed a suitable satellite transmitter on the eagle Circaetus gallicus, which is in its natural nest. The transmitter was financed by the company “Telekom Srbija” a.d.

Ognjenka, juli 2020. (foto Milivoj Vučanović)

The Short-Toed eagle is a migratory species that spends the winter in sub-Saharan Africa. This nest in the Vršac Mountains has been monitored by ranger Milivoj Vučanović for more than a decade. Until now, there were data on the activities of a pair of snakes, the success of nesting, but now we will have the opportunity to monitor their young if it successfully overcomes the flight from the nest and its journey to Africa and back, with all the data provided by this methodology.

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The cub is big, in good condition and almost ready to fly. It is professionally processed, ringed with a metal ring of the Center for Marking Animals of the Museum of Natural History in Belgrade, as well as a plastic ring. A satellite transmitter of the company “Ornitela” of 25 grams, with solar power, was also installed and the bird was safely returned to the nest. Now we are following all the events and we are waiting for the moment when they will fly out of the nest.