CZECHIA: IMPERIAL EAGLE AND SAKER AND EFFECTS OF ILLEGAL PERSECUTION
Zdeněk Vermouzek, David Horal Czech Society for Ornithology Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic
Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) in CZ • • • • • • • • •
NW edge of the range no historical breeding records (1948, 1967 – only speculations) 1st breeding attempt (nest building): Soutok, 1997 (near SK and A border) 1st successful breeding: Soutok, 1998 (Austria 1999) 1998 – 2016: total 57 breeding attempts / 37 successful breedings / 72 young reared rapid increase since 2015-16 brings hope for further colonization breeding female ringed as a chick in E Slovakia – this year (2016) 22 years old 2016, one case of successful breeding of female in 3rd cy (2 young reared) in the main breeding area (S Moravia, Břeclav region), winter concentrations of up to 11 birds observed
© Vladimír Gahura
Number of EIE pairs in CZ in 1998—2016
10 9 8 7
pairs
6 5 4 3 2 1 0
year
Breeding of EIE in CZ in 2016
Satellite-tagged EIEs in CZ, 2011-2015
© MME
Main threats - EIE • • • • •
disturbance (forest works, photographers) general raptor persecution (poisoning, shooting) electrocution food offer in intensive farmland windfarms
September 2011, juvenile with transmitter shot at Austrian side and found in border river Thaya © Michael Bierbaumer
Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) in CZ – I. • NW edge of the range • historical breeding records – 1840s, 1930s (Bohemia) • South Moravia, mainly floodplain forests – first confirmed breeding 1958, probably regularly breeding since then though not confirmed • population monitored since 1976 (Petr Horák et al., later Václav Beran et al.); 1979 already 5 pairs • early 1990s: ca 15 br. pairs • 1999-2010, population estimate 15-20 pairs • always high number of supposed nests not found • reintroductions: from 1980s till 2005, min 250 birds released, later stopped, none of the birds bred in wild © Jozef Chavko
© Václav Beran (1,2), Vlasta Škorpíková (3)
Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) in CZ – II. • 1989-2007 isolated breeding of 1-2 pairs in NE Moravia / Silesia, 2008-2009 only single bird and later abandoned • 1997-2001 isolated breding of 1 pair in SE Germany (NP Sächsische Schweiz) close to CZ border; 1996, 2002, 2005 only single bird (Ulrich Augst; cf. Augst 2001, Limicola 15: 135-147) • re-colonization of Bohemia?: 2011-2013 2-3 pairs (but 0 in 20142016) • obvious decrease during the last years: 2014-2016 only ca 10 territorial pairs, 5-6 confirmed breedings, 1-5 of them successful, 2-7 young reared annually, very low breeding success • ??? new trend – buildings (1 bird regularly wintering at silo, 1 pair in breeding season in Peregrine – nest box in Bohemia) • 2015-2017, national action plan („rescue programme“) prepared
Main monitored areas
National action plan – project areas
Main threats - SF • • • • • • •
electrocution disturbance (forest works, photographers) general raptor persecution (shooting, poisoning) food offer in intensive farmland windfarms ? food-chain contamination re-introduction experiments
• nts
25.8.2011, Biskupice, © Jozef Chavko
Illegal persecution in Czechia • Free wings programme • led by CSO since 2000 • the only database of bird crime
Bu zz ar d W -t Ea gl M e ar sh H ar ri e r Ea gl e O w l G os ha wk Re d Ki te Bl ak Ki te G ol de n Ea gl e Pe re gr in e
General statistics
Since 2000: 72 species
200
150
100
50
0
General statistics
poisoning shooting destroyed nest other
karbofuran.cz
Distribution of poisonings
LIFE+ PannonEagle • searching for poisoning using a dog • intense co-operation with Police • direct nest monitoring
Thank you!