NOVA FALCONS, COMPANY SPECIALIZED IN ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN IBIZA AND FORMENTERA.
We start the year 2023...talking about 2022, specifically, September 7, at 9:50 a.m., when we detected this female Montagu's Harrier with the wing mark E9.
Through this wing tag, it was possible to locate the project responsible for its marking and give them the sighting report.
The specimen in question is a female born and marked in 2020, in the town of Rügheim, in the district of Hassberge, one of the 71 districts in which the current Germany is divided.
The Montagu's harrier is a migrant species in the Pitiusas, which can be confused with other harriers, especially with the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and the pallid harrier (Circus macrourus), but also with the marsh harrier, which of the 4 species, is the only one that accompanies us throughout the winter. Generally, the montagu's Harriers will be seen during the prenuptial (spring) and postnuptial (autumn) migrations.
Harriers, in general, are raptors that do not stand out for having large talons, nor for hunting by means of fast chases or impressive bites. Their prey are small micromammals, small birds that have made the fatal mistake of being overconfident, or even the remains of recent bird catches made by other predators. They hunt by gliding, supported by gentle flapping wings, in open areas with little rough terrain, such as, for example, the airside of airports.
It is important to detect each specimen that enters: harriers, in general, are "easy prey" for airplanes due to the peculiarities of their way of hunting (slow and at low altitude) and their predilection for spaces such as the runways of airports.
For those who want to learn more about the dangers of wild birds of prey at an airport, we leave you this other blog post, where we discuss the subject in more depth:
- https://novafalcons.com/en/blog/73-raptors-and-aviation-safety
Text: own elaboration.
Photographs and quotation: Lara Abascal.
To learn more:
-https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_pygargus
-https://novafalcons.com/en/blog/73-raptors-and-aviation-safety
-https://novafalcons.com/en/blog/67-about-scientific-ringing
-https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_cyaneus
-https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_macrourus
Nova Falcons is a company specializing in wildlife control and environmental services.
-Controls on birds, mammals y reptiles.
-Wildlife surveys, censuses and monitoring.
-Survey and control of invasive and protected species.
-Environmental impact studies and environmental consultancy.
-Pest and microorganism control.
-Consult other services without obligation.
