As a new step forward towards the set objectives of Life Bonelli, on June16, the first chicks of Bonelli’s Eagle were introduced in Álava, a territory which joins Mallorca, Navarre and Madrid as a liberation zone of the Project, supported by the European Union in favour of the recuperacion of the species.
As a member of Life Bonelli, the Andalusian Council for Environmental and Territorial Planning informed recently about their contribution to this Project aimed at recovering precarious or extinct populatuions of Bonelli’s Eagle.
As part of the Life Bonelli Project, the actions to reduce the mortality are of great importance, amongst them the correction of overhead electrical cables presenting a risk for the birds. GREFA has been insisting for years on the urgent necessity of modifying some of the dangerous masts so that no more Bonelli’s Eagles or other birds of prey are electrocuted in the territory of Madrid.
Surely you remeber that this past 26 of May and 1st of June, we released five Bonelli’s Eagles in Navarre using the method of breeding in the countryside. The birds have already passed the phase of closed hacking which served to acclimatize both in the zone and to their sisters in the big closed cage which served as well as an artificial nest. We opened the cage a few days ago and the eagles continue to develop exercising their wings and muscles to start their first flights soon. This will be the most delicate moment since the eagles have to learn to eat on the feeding platforms safe from predators and eventually have to recognize and accept the territory of release as their native one.
As you might remember, over a month ago we released six young Bonelli’s Eagles in the southwest of the Community of Madrid, in another attempt to recover the population in Spain of this endangered bird of prey, part of the Life Bonelli Project in which we are participating intensely.